Blackrock

The subject matter is completely galling, that of a mass rape and subsequent murder of a teenage girl. This movie's strength however should not be underestimated. It doesn't really attempt to moralise or provide answers, it simply examines the interactions of the teenagers affected by the tragedy. Great acting from a young cast, I have to disagree with dita-3 suggesting that the characters don't develop. The main problem that today's youth faces worldwide is the fact that they are increasingly apathetic and lack true ambition. This movie sets out to make you think, and is overlaid with a churning grungey soundtrack throbbing it's way through. A lovely poignant moment with the Cranberries "No Need To Argue" playing, but the film never dips into sentimentality. Hollywood would have liked to pour a healthy dose of treacle over the ending, thank goodness they never had the chance to do so. I cannot recommended this film highly enough

What would you do if you witnessed some of your friends committing a terrible crime? What would you do if you saw a friend of yours being gang raped? Would you have sat there and watched?. Horrified but able to do nothing. Or would you have helped? This is the dilemma faced by Jared played by Laurence Breuls. This gritty Australian drama explores not only Jared's reactions and feelings about this crime but all of the victim's friends feelings as well. Jared is shattered by the fact that he did not help his friend Leigh when she needed him and even more horrified to find out that his best mate Ricko finished off the job - raping Leigh yet again and then killing her. This movie details how each friend came to grips with this tragic but too often everyday crime.

Black rock is a very dramatic movie, and therefore would come under the Genre Drama. The movie is set in Black Rock at the beach. Some of the main features of the movie, are: Truth, conflict, hatred, loyalty, fear, moral conflict, adolescence and man hood, tragedy, responsibility, community and most importantly, consent.

Jared is a 17 year old boy who has had a lot on his mind lately, what would you do if you saw something you knew that you could easily stop? In Jared's case, he sat there and observed the dreadful incident, he didn't say a word. Before this incident Jared used to be a typical 17 year old boy who surfed, slept-in and hung out with his friends, now he can't escape his thoughts.

I won't spoil the plot, but this is a film that you must see, at the right moments it was very intense, this film shows you that you must be truthful, or the truth will haunt you forever.

To be completely honest, the only reason i saw this movie was because in our English class we read the screenplay by Nick Enright. And that was it. I wouldn't have watched this movie otherwise.

Yes, this movie contained an almost-taboo subject that hasn't been seen all that often before. But that is the problem: The whole movie rotated around that one happening, this one occurrence.

And, 10 years later, we have become somewhat desensitized to those occurrences, making them not as shocking as they would have been say, 10 years ago.

If that doesn't collapse an already shaky plot, nothing will.

Put it simply, this movie was made to shock people. It was made to bring to light a subject that usually isn't discussed. But the problem, the hole in this plan, was that it didn't.

Another thing i noticed was that the acting was extremely rushed. The dialogue was rushed. The reactions and emotions were rushed. Some of the characters would scream and cry and shout insults at mere words that would only at most leave us frowning. What the director was trying to convey as hopelessness and devastation only came through as characters in need of intense anger management.

Another is that the characters themselves were not given anything to hold onto. If i hadn't read the original screenplay, half of these characters morals would be foreign to me. I had an advantage not many would have had before this by actually having an idea of what these people were like. But the thing is, that shouldn't happen. People shouldn't have to read the original works just to get a genuine idea of the movie.

There were also tiny sub-plots that i guess were added in for extra depth, but only ended up being completely unnecessary.

And, finally, the dialogue. Now, because this movie was set in Australia, and hey, i'm Australian too, i can spot when the slang is forced - a feat that appears in so many other Australian movies. And my gosh, it's forced in this movie. It is all too bush for a bunch of teenagers.

One of the only things i can commend the director on is keeping me somewhat entranced for the better part of the movie. I was interested in what was going to happen, but after the climax i felt it was a little stretched. the dark underlying themes - domestic violence, rape, suicide and relationship issues, kept that interest, as weird as it is to admit.

Also, the party scenes in particular were spot-on. The director conveyed the frenzy of teenage parties so accurately i found myself comparing them to some of the own i've been to. And the locations were decent too, and convinced me. I was also happy to see a few familiar faces - a cameo-like appearance from Health Ledger, Jade Gatt off of one of my old favourite cartoon TV shows and that guy off all saints whose name i can never remember.

For what it's worth, the movie does make you think. I know the rape scene haunted me for a little while even after the movie finished. It is also a fact that when our teacher shut it off in class we were more silent than we ever had been before.

Mostly if you just approach it with the fact it is only a movie you'll appreciate it in the slightest.

I am so glad that I am not the girl who was called "Cherie" in the movie as the above comments on "how it is supposed to make us think" etc, is irrelevant. She was Tracey Warners (Leigh Lee's) best friend and suffered along with the rest of the innocents portrayed in Blackrock. I lived 5 minutes away from Stockton (which is the "mythical" town in which Blackrock is set), and I remember this murder happening at the time. It is unfair to judge this movie on "the ideals" we were meant to gain from watching it as it was a factual encounter. It is too bad if you don't "get" this film, as it is not meant to be "got". It happened. As for the characters not evolving - well, you will have to take that up with the people on who they were depicting. I am sure that they are sorry that their everyday lives do not summarise the lives YOU think they should have led.