Bondi Tsunami

This has to be the most interesting road trip movie i have ever seen. If you think you have seen every type of road movie, you haven't seen this then. For the four actors, they do a alright job of acting, even though they were randomly picked from the street and had no previous acting.

Bondi Tsunami is so visually stunning, that you are mesmerized the whole time. Though it is visually wonderful, it does distract from the story; but there isn't much of a story in the first place. This is the major flaw of the movie, with a limited story line and not a lot of character development, the movie seems to drag on and on. Most of the time there are songs playing and this is where all the visual directing comes into its own; but you cant really rely on great visuals. It kind of is one long music video.

Though this isn't a very deep movie and very thin on a story, this is still a great view; as there isn't anything else like Bondi Tsunami out there.

This movie is very different and difficult to describe...

It is a music video movie, where there is little dialogue, and some fairly tasteful music choices and nifty camera-work help to move the movie along.

It is a comical movie, which doesn't take itself too seriously. Some scenes are downright funny, especially those with Gunja-man! And there are short comic strip interludes which add a surreal and humorous quality.

It is a road movie, which documents a crazy and meandering trip in an old Holden around some of our "Sunburnt Country". Many notable tourist spots are included, as well as some outback desert scenery.

It is a spiritual movie, which has many Buddhist references. Nirvana, Enlightenment, Void, Illusion and several lines from the Heart Sutra are all mentioned. The movie is portrayed as being somewhere between reality and a dream and is quite atmospheric.

It's a psychedelic and counter-cultural movie. Nimbin is mentioned several times and several scenes seem "other-worldly".

It is a surfing movie, with many allusions to the classic Australian surfing film from the 70s, "Morning of the Earth". Two of Brian Cadd's original songs from "Morning of the Earth" are included in "Bondi Tsunami"... deja vu...

This movie successfully integrates all these genres and may be destined to become a cult classic...

"Bondi Tsunami" is perhaps one of the most uninspiring pieces of "cinema" that I have seen. I highlight "cinema" because it should be read in a sarcastic and/or dull tone.

The film is more like an extended music video, who's cinematography engages you in the first five minutes, during the opening credits, but then gets old, fast. And because there is no narrative (in ANY form) to engage you, you find your eyes wandering over to watch the grass grow. Grass is pretty cool! And yes, it may have sold to a few countries, but so have our cattle. It is by no means a measure of artistic integrity, but merely a current marketable item- manufactured to fit a niche- perfect the the Japanese market! Oh, that is sooooooo "original" (sarcastic/dull again).

Anyone could have "directed" this! No character development, no plot development, no 'real' story... It would have been more interesting to see an opposite of "Lost in Translation" perhaps, where these Japanese surfers are discovering Australia and its beaches through their perspective and discovering different things about themselves in the process... evolving perhaps? Even one element of change or difference would have been interesting, but noooooooo! All that was served up was 2-dimensional mash. Developing these characters would have taken too much effort and thought, and because it is essentially a music video, I guess it was not required.

If I wanted to watch music videos for 2 hours, I'd tune into ABC's "RAGE" on Saturday morning!

The only persons I'd recommend this film to, are those who are not interested in watching a "film"; or those who cannot get good reception on their TV for the ABC!

Rating: 0.5/10.

Well it would seem that with Bondi Tsunami you either love it or hate it. There's no in between. I loved it. It is definitely something that needs to be watched and taken into your mind in a different way. The very way the music and imagery are presented to you is also a story telling tool, not just aesthetic. Each character has their own music, camera and editing style to go with them and convey their character without actions or words. This was very purposeful in it's style. The editing and colour grading in this movie were awesome. This was DV and look at the quality. Watch it again and notice how these elements of movie making affect how you think about the character's personalities.

Hypnotic, beautiful and ahead of it's time.

Reading some of the other reviews for this film it seems that opinion is extremely divided. I enjoyed the film purely for the editing and visuals. I thought the editing was fantastic and was the only thing that gave the film any kind of pace, even though it was a stoner flick of sorts it still needed something to move it along. I enjoyed the soundtrack too. Some of the shots were beautifully composed but I agree that generally the camera-work was shoddy.

I've read some interviews by the director and she does seem to have her head up her arse as far as her claims to be revolutionising DV film making and guerilla techniques - does she honestly believe she was the first to shoot a film on DV with a small crew??? Um - reality check. It's been going on since the cameras were invented over 10 years ago.

But - I think the filmmakers can be commended for stretching the boundaries of audience expectations and structure. The Australian film industry isn't known for being adventurous and at least this film is different. I disagree with those that say there's no plot - the film is a journey, both literally and of self discovery. It is like one long trippy music video that looks fantastic. I think audiences need to forget about traditional structure and just go with it.