Barracuda

Totally unlikable characters apparently toned down from the book. Crap.

Being a swimmer myself (in the good ol' days) I was immediately attracted to this series' narrative. Swimming is one of the most competitive sports you can compete in, and one of the most gruelling to dedicate your life to. And all I can say is, I loved it!

I simply devoured this series. It is story telling genius in how it moves and what is beneath it but at the same time it is brutal and honest and. It just is. This follow up to The Slap, which could easily be called The Splash, in that it is about swimming, is an epic journey of a kid called Danny Kelly who gets inserted into a fancy college due to his incredible talents in the pond. But despite his excellent coach and natural talent for winning, Danny rubs up against his more entitled peers which soon awakens a raw anger in him that may or may not lead to a sort of destruction, at the height of his reign. This story is about winning, about class, about anger, and about Australia. An Australia that hinges it's identity on glory above all, but who has no real connection to life beneath its surface.

I am left sat on this sofa, remembering my old swimming days, what it felt like to dive into that blue, chlorinated volume. What it felt like to race. What it felt like to win.

It's new year's eve right now and I might have had a few beers, but so what. This series has prescribed me 'hope'.

See you at the Olympics guys!

I do not know the book. But I admire the great acting and the fair construction of a parable about life and its fundamental meanings. It is not a swimming story. Or one about succes. It represents only a precise portrait of an age, a family, few clashes, succes and apparent fall as necessary wake up. A serie about the reality . Impressive for nuanced work of actors, for cultural references, for the courage and inspiration to give a honest image of ambition, triumph and the death of the hill in the most decent terms. Sure, for me, Elias Anton, Matt Nable and Victoria Haralabidou are the authentical stars. But each scene gives more than you expect in fair and powerful and clear manner becomind, in some measure, a mirror reflection or a precious lesson about life purpose.

On the plus side - good story and some good acting by most supporting cast members. Great underwater swimming shots. Matt Nable plays the school swimming coach and he's very good and anchors the series.

On the negative side - the preview 'shorts' at the end of Episode 1 basically spoiled the entire plot of the remaining 3 episodes. Hardly worth watching the remaining episodes because the big dramatic twist in the plot was revealed at the end of Episode 1 in the preview. The editors who decided that would be a good idea should get a kick up the rear end for that decision. The 2 young lead actors have obviously been cast for their athletic body shape and their ages, but their acting isn't great. One of the weakest actors in this mini series is Rachel Griffiths - which is ironic given that she's the only really internationally known actor in the cast. Every time she's in a scene, you are fully aware that she is 'acting' her lines, and not very well at that.

This series is very disappointing mainly in the acting department. It's annoying because Australia can produce some good TV series and movies, and plenty of our soapie stars are making names for themselves in the US market. So the talent is here.

10 out of 10 may seem like quite a high rating but i thoroughly enjoyed the 4 part miniseries and while not perfect, nothing is, i'm rating it 10 because i was so engrossed the whole time. ABC featured all four episodes to stream on Iview and after watching the first episode on live TV, i could not wait a whole week for a second serve.

I did start reading the book and gave up a few chapters in. While it was interesting and did at one point hook me in, i found the author who is brilliant, Christos Tsiolkas, is a strong story teller through the amount of detail he uses to set up plots, characters and scenes. I found the book at times be quite indulgent and while important in setting the scene, i wanted the book to progress at a faster pace. The miniseries however i found very rewarding as for time reasons, it was condensed and the narrative moved quickly which i liked. While i did not connect with the book, i appreciate it and could see how it is such a compelling read. Seeing it on the screen, i really respect the book for painting such a complex story of Danny, who is such a complex character.

Elias Anton as Danny and Ben Kindon as Martin Taylor did such a superb job of bringing their characters to life. It was compelling to watch, they had major chemistry on screen which added to the direction of the storyline. Rachel Griffiths was outstanding as well, she nailed the cold and privileged mother. Matt Nable as Frank Torma though was a force, he gave a truly outstanding performance. A bare minimum Logie nomination for most outstanding actor, if not the win because he was just mesmerising. Playing a coach, you felt obliged to listen to him, like you were his student. This TV series really does deserve several nods in all categories at the Logies next year and AFI awards.

I have to admit, i've been slack to acknowledge the ABC as suppliers of brilliant Australian drama, the only shows i watch on the ABC are Please Like Me and Dance Academy (back in the day) but i am certainly paying attention now. They are such wonderful contributors to Australian television and i'm going to make sure i am aware of all future TV projects because i would have felt very saddened had i not been aware of this television series. Support local production! Barracuda is a shining example of the talent in our industry. Wonderful story writing, talented actors, beautiful cinematography. Really spot on. Well done to all involved! A true feat.