Careful, He Might Hear You

Two estranged sisters vie for custody of their preteen nephew, not always considering his feelings, in this compelling Australian drama from 'Travelling North' director Carl Schultz. As per the title, the film pivots around what everyone says about the boy behind his back, and the film is blessed by a deliciously complex sound design in which background discussions overlap with whatever the boy is doing. Nicholas Gledhill is very well cast as the protagonist with an expressive face that tells all as he listens to the adults converse, extrapolating what he can. John Seale does a great job shooting Gledhill in intentionally intrusive close-ups and with several gliding shots throughout, 'Careful He Might Hear You' is an incredibly good- looking film. If the movie does not totally work, it is due to becoming too sentimental for its own good, especially towards the end. Wendy Hughes (as the wealthier aunt) could have also benefited for some more characterisation as she comes off a little too much like an evil stepmother. Generally speaking though, this is a captivating look at two sisters with opposite approaches to life both trying to parent properly in wildly different ways and how the boy learns to finally assert himself when things do not go the way he wants. In other words, it is just as much a tale of growing up as it is a story of sibling rivalry regarding custody of him.

The film is a superb adaptation of the book. As is true of most adaptations, it doesn't quite live up to the book. Read the book first--and then see the movie. The acting is first-rate. The little boy, Nicholas Gledhill, is amazing. And Wendy Hughes is stunning--what a shame she has never caught on with American audiences in her relatively unproductive American film and television career. The film is another example of the high quality work that comes out of Australia with such frequency.

One of Australia's great films of the 80s...big, lavish and crafted for an international audience.......along with GALLIPOLI, THE LIGHTHORSEMEN and MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, "Careful"..is different in that it is set in Sydney harbourside suburbs of the 1920s......most period films made at this time are set earlier and are rural.....also like the sublime masterpiece THE IRISHMAN. The cast for "Careful" is theater professionals who fit the passionate personalities the extremely emotional and personal roles demand. Their transformation to film is also thanks to the great director Carl Schultz who also made the superb Australian films GOODBYE PARADISE and TRAVELLING NORTH. Much under employed here and almost forgotten ...... Nicholas Gledhill is still in Sydney theater and occasionally appears in fringe productions.

Robyn Nevin is the supreme being of the Sydney Theatre Company and the great Wendy Hughes is the goddess of the Australian screen.....see NEWSFRONT for that confirmation. The late great John Hughes such a genuine Australian man in his perfect realisation of the irresponsible but lovable main male character "Logan". This film is Australian screen perfection, however the end credits come too early.

Nicholas Gledhill's portrayal of a child is one of the best I've ever seen. He was eight at the time, and the character seems more like five---and a really excellent capture of the body language and expression of a child of that age mystified by the odd grown-up world around him. The worst distraction in the film was the music, which never seemed appropriate, like it had been composed for a different film, in an earlier decade. A few acting performances were overbaked, but in general it was OK. Oddly, Nicholas never appeared in another film.

This one is from Australia, and centers on an eight year old boy called P.S. (Nicholas Gledhill...this was his first role.) There's a tug of war for custody of P.S., between Aunt Lily and Vanessa. Right at the beginning, Lily tries to explain to the boy why he must go off with Vanessa, but he's only eight, after all. Quite a variation from the Auntie Mame story; here, its all serious education and proper behavior, pretty much the opposite of Mame. So much PINK! have you ever seen so much pink in one room? Large, imposing rooms. And not allowed to get out and play with others. Vanessa kept him all to herself. Not much fun for a youngster who had so much fun in Sydney. Here, he can't seem to do anything right. Vanessa thinks she is doing the right thing for him, but doesn't really know that a youngster wants to just play. Then, stuff happens... which might help turn things around for him.

Story by Sumner Elliott. The novel was written when he was about 46... film done when he was about 66; wonder if its his own story. Elliott was born down Undah, and died in NYC. Directed by Carl Schultz, who did mostly television projects. Finally it's out on DVD. Good story.