Last Stop Larrimah

If you love Fargo (the film), you'll probably enjoy this as a real life whodunnit, with a wealth of eccentric Fargo-like characters, each and every one of them far stranger than fiction.

In a nutshell, this true story revolves around 11 people who are the sole inhabitants of a tiny villlage off the beaten track in northern Australia. Did I say 11? I mean 10. One of them has mysteriously disappeared, presumably murdered. You'd think with such a meagre population it wouldn't be too difficult to narrow down a suspect or two, right? Yeah, unless the potential murder victim had more than a few enemies among his ten-fold brethren.

To further complicate matters, the remaining ten don't like (any of) each other much either, and that's me putting it very mildly.

This 2 episode series is hard to compare with anything else, but I can say this: the individuals who tell the story - Larrimah's population, all of them potential suspects (and some cops from the nearest glimpse of civilization) - had me completely absorbed. There's lots to say about them, but it's hard to find the words, I assure you. And if you have yet to watch this, the less said the better.

Larrimah is an Australian town with only ten residents, until recently it has eleven, only Paddy was killed, The Police believed that Paddy's adversary killed him, and the motive was pies...

What a fascinating story this is, not the usual documentary I opt for on Netflix, but it's totally engaging.

I loved the pacing, early on I didn't quite know which way it was heading, it all seemed sweet and lovely, with some very interesting and very open people, but as it develops, the scandals and open hatred comes seeping through.

I honestly couldn't believe some of the revelations, wow, there was some real resentment, and in a town of eleven people, that was likely to cause problems.

It's a little padded out in parts, but the interviews are so interesting, especially the lady from the pie shop. So many characters.

What an incredible place, it really does look like a place that has once seen better days, but is somewhat off even that pace.

Very entertaining.

7/10.

So, I watched this yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. It starts off with some interesting characters living in a very uninteresting town in the middle of nowhere. Early on we get a closer look at the characters (11 in total) and their backgrounds. There's Fran the pie lady that's lived there forever and who lays claim to establishing the town, and Paddy the Irishman who arrived from Ireland years ago, who on his way to wherever on arriving in Australia decided the trip was taking too long so stop and decided to settle down in Larrimah. Initially it seems Paddy is liked by everyone. Problem is it's hard to find anyone Paddy has a good word to say about! What is revealed about the townsfolk when the police arrive to investigate Paddy's subsequent disappearance is eye-opening. All is not what it seems in this seemingly chummy little town. Very well put together with lots of things you just can't help laugh about. The ending is unexpected, though not surprising, and for me at least it pointed the finger clearly at the murderer. There should be more doco's like this one that keep you guessing right to very end.

This was quite a surprise and I found myself intrigued from beginning to end- a very quirky, frustrating, enigmatic tale of the murder of someone who may or may not have been a great Irish immigrant, may or may not have been a great neighbor, may or may not have been a pot-stirrer, and his dog (NO NOT THE DOG!!) neither of which deserved to be killed in cold blood for nothing in particular.

The residents are a menagerie of characters- some of which feel quite slimy- amongst them Fran and Owen, of which seem to be painted in an unflattering light yet they do absolutely nothing to help themselves fight the portrayal. They're both quite vitriolic and full of blame for all their problems on anyone but themselves. Then there's Karen and.her husband, but she seems to like the camera more than her husband. The name definitely seems to fit, as she epitomizes it in virtually every way possible.

So many people are castigated by the others, including a lot of whining, miserable miscreants who can't seem to find a way to keep a business afloat yet keep plenty busy with keeping the rumor mill running full steam, having no problem with tossing ridiculous accusations and nonsensical claims with absolutely no regard for the man who has been missing and presumed dead or those they happen to share a community with.

All that being said, it's a seemingly lighthearted and somewhat cheeky true crime documentary but never loses sight of the fact that an innocent man lost his life and has never been heard from again. It's a rather interesting story told in a fascinating way that's a fresh new way, so be prepared for every budding artist to now put their spin on this and fill the void with some of the insipid work the genre has seen since Jimmy Hoffa went for a walk.

I love stories about small towns. So, this one really intrigued me from the get-go. The piece begins with the (ten) inhabitants talking about their decision to move to Larrimah in the first place, and what they love about it. We then move to the mystery of a missing man and the filters of suspicion suddenly switch on. Frankly, the slow-burn reveals of the townsfolk surprised me one after the other. Not only do some hold major grudges against the rest, but they're also completely open about it.

The aesthetics of the place (and its people) had my attention throughout. The pub with the crocodile, the pie shop, the bush, the stilt houses, the large open spaces, the dogs, the sunsets - there's something about the place that even a complete outsider like me can get drawn to. The interviews are spread out between all of the residents of the town, and everyone gets to voice their thoughts. The place, the story of the missing man, the people (their ongoing grudges and motives) - I feel this has everything needed for a neo-noir crime drama, at least on paper. It's predominantly Australian too - like, where else do you see folks candidly talk about murder while chugging beer, smoking, or laughing their butt off?