Broken Hill

What a beautiful surprise this film was. We had never heard of it which truly puzzles us. A truly lovely, and quirky , story with fine performances from all the cast and amazing cinematography showcasing our NSW outback in some very unique settings. And the music was absolutely wonderful. Just loved this film so much and cannot believe we only just discovered it when we streamed it this evening to great delight , ten years after it was made. Just cannot believe it was not better promoted at the time..

I do not like movies were musicians are played by actors. They rarely get taught correctly, classix case when the protagonist is conducting the singers and he gesticulates pitch change by moving his hands up (higher) and (down) lower in pitch. Except this is just random. Shame on the director for not bothering to undertake research. The piano playing, very little correlation to the sounds coming from the instrument. Too slow moving hence tedious and boring.

I really enjoyed this film. Despite 'warnings' from friends that thought the acting was a little cheesy, I found that the entire film was enjoyable and engaging. I was particularly impressed with the message of the film and how the main character was forced to deal with the circumstances that he found himself in. Having an artistic vision can be painful when the artist is unable to bring his or her art to fruition. It was refreshing to see a story void of sex and violence, but that maintained elements of romance while portraying the conflict between destiny and circumstance. I would highly recommend this film for anyone who enjoyed August Rush, or other films that feature the theme of music being an inseparable part of our lives, in many modes and forms.

BROKEN HILL isn't certainly a remembered movie. After all it has only 6 reviews with three that give it 10s and the most recent for it written in October 2019 that gives it a 3 which is somewhat sospicious. Yet last June I finally saw it and I could see why some love it.

Tommy McAlpine is a teenager that works with his father George (Timothy Hutton) in the Australian outback herding sheep but Tommy is bored of this lifestyle and wants to become a musician with disastrous results and the dissenting opinion of his father. But after Tommy nearly destroys his dad's car and ends in jail for drunk driving he is given to chance to make an orchestra with some prison inmates and surprisingly enough, it's a success. There would be some trouble along the way but no matter what happens, Tommy has finally achieved his dream of being a musician.

In the beginning it looked ok, with Tommy and his dad working in the Australian outback, his meeting with Kat and the car accident. But after he becomes the band leader it became greater because it can make you believe that you can make your dreams come true even with the most unexpected people (considering his band is formed of prison inmates). And the ending made me feel emotional for obvious reasons.

Overall, nice acting, an inspiring concept, great music... all this makes for some unique viewing and a movie that is worth your time.

I liked this film. It was a bit slow and I would have liked to have seen more musical progress at the jail house .. but I can understand that they wanted you to wait until the end to see how it turned out. I like that it is Australia-based. Definitely better than the other movies I have seen this summer. I went with my boyfriend for my birthday. I was concerned that he would not like it. But he said that he liked it. THere were a few cute lines in the movie referencing the trouble men get in on account of women. Most of the other movie goers were quite old in the movie. There is no sex or violence at all. It is a safe movie for a first date or family event. No one will be offended by the movie. Also, no annoying political undertones.