Sweet River

A decent-enough film, that you can pass a few hours with.

If you're looking for a non-stop, rollercoaster of a horror movie...this ain't it!

It's a very slow burner, with probably the worst group of child actors you'll see this year. Everything else though, is great!

The writing of this film lets it down. It's like a car that keeps trying to get up the hill but never gets there. It feels like a first draft script that needed to get pushed to a higher level, which is a shame, because you can tell everyone did their best with what they had.

Darn it. For the first half, this felt like it was building up to be a genuinely creepy horror-mystery, of which there are too few from Australia. Tension never really gets past the first notch, however, and midway through the second half, the vibe is that of a premise that hadn't fully been thought through by the writers, resulting in a flat conclusion that was no more than a less-than-subtle metaphor for grief. What then was the point of the supernatural elements? Nice cinematography, acting is more than commendable with believable characterisations by all involved, but overall this is just a time filler.

'Sweet River', like the best ghost stories, is suffused with grief and mystery.

A woman moves to a small Australian riverfront sugarcane town to seek answers about the disappearance of her small son, only to find a community of grieving parents who, having lost their children to a number of tragedies, believe they are still with them. At the same time a mystery haunts the town, echoing across the canefields at night - particularly a field that stands as a memorial for the children lost and has never been harvested.

'Sweet River' is first and foremost a human drama about an outsider probing the secrets of a town - when the townsfolk don't want her to - so that she can find her son and finally allow him, and herself, to rest. The cane towers and shifts as both a backdrop and a character. It is foreboding and visceral - both the town's lifeblood and the keeper of its secrets. A river and a forest full of omens.

Beautifully acted and photographed, this film weaves a tightly knotted plot that it unravels in expertly measured beats as midway, the ghost story hinted in its opening sequence begins to take hold while the frustrations begin to mount upon Hannah as she gets closer to the truth.

Perhaps the resolution is just ever so slightly too neat (this is being very picky) and the emotional wrap-up a touch too swift to be as satisfying as the rest of the story demands. The opening sequence, like the exaggerated trailer, is also a little at odds with the tone of the rest of the film. Nevertheless, this is an accomplished, subtle, slow burn, adult ghost story that should have had the chance to find a bigger audience than it has.

One for viewers looking for something along the lines of 'The Orphanage', 'The Others', 'February (The Balckcoat's Daughter)' and 'The Devil's Backbone' rather than J-Horror and 'Children of the Corn', as the trailer would have you expect.

I can't understand the negative reviews for this film. It has a good story, is well produced and has an excellent cast. It is an Australian film, and perhaps overseas American audiences miss the subtlety of Australian culture and story telling. However, the film is far from boring.

What separates the film from the mundane done to death horror, is the subtle showing of ghosts. There are no silly monsters popping out, or OTT special effects.

The lead English actress was very good, and I think that it's very unfair to just compare her to a look alike Rebecca Gibney. Because she certainly brings a strong screen presence with her. The supporting cast are also strong, and each shine in their own way.

The film also sheds light on the small towns near the Tweed River. For anyone who has ever visited there, it certainly does have a spooky feel and an unusual atmosphere about it. The sugar canes, which are largely the livelihood of such towns grow tall and far reaching. It is also has interesting Artistic culture.

My only criticism would have been to show less of the lead characters return to alcoholism. While a significant story to tell there could have been half the amount of scenes of her drinking to paint the picture.

All in all an enjoyable watch and definitely well above your cliched horror film.