December 16, 2011

Murder and Mayhem Down Under in Snowtown


One movie that I have been anxious to see, amongst others, is the Australian flick Snowtown. Based on true crimes from 1999 it has been picked up by the ever reliable IFC Midnight, and is set to open in New York on February 29th. I would expect an On Demand release some time around then, if past releases are anything to go by. It certainly looks to be an intense movie. I have attached the UK theatrical trailer for you to check out.


**WINNER - JURY PRIZE, CRITICS WEEK: CANNES FILM FESTIVAL**
  **OFFICIAL ENTRY: TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL**
Based on the horrifying crimes discovered in Snowtown, Australia in 1999, where police found dismembered bodies rotting in barrels, SNOWTOWN, which marks Justin Kurzel's directorial debut is a stark journey into the feral subculture of welfare dependence, addiction, domestic violence, brutality and sexual abuse.

Elizabeth Harvey (Louise Harris) is raising her three boys in Adelaide's poor northern suburbs. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead winds up welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home.

John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) is the moral compass among a circle of friends who hold self-appointed neighborhood watch meetings at the kitchen table. Fueled by cigarettes and beer they cast judgments on those living around them. Bunting enlists his crew in acts of sadistic vigilantism on those he considers deviants takes Elizabeth's son Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) under his wing. In a mix of misdirected hero worship and terror, Jamie becomes an accomplice to a spree of torture and murder.

SNOWTOWN is an uncompromising film, focused on the relationship between vulnerable teenager and a father figure who is revealed to be the worst kind of bully.  

Directed by: Justin Kurzel
Written by: Shaun Grant
Starring: Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway, Craig Coyne






1 comment:

Unknown said...

I got to see this when it first came out in theatres here in Australia. I'm currently working on my favorite movies of 2011 list and this definitely made the cut. Out of all of the films I've seen this year, Snowtown had the most impact, probably because I remember hearing all about the murders when I was a kid. Despite the lack of gore (or perhaps because of it) this turned out to be one of the most brutal and realistic movies of the year for me. I definitely recommend it.