Ten Empty

TEN EMPTY is a family drama in the classic mold - a story of a family riven by past tragedies, denial, unspoken truths, alcohol abuse and social divergence. Eliot (Daniel Frederickson) has returned to the suburban family home for the christening of his half-brother. He's been living in the big smoke, and has become quite successful, and is a big fish out of water not only in his hometown but in his very home. His father (Geoff Morrell) is deeply troubled, as is his younger brother (Tom Budge), and Eliot's attempts to help them are met with troubling obstacles. To reveal much more would be to spoil the revelatory nature of the plot. It's a coming-home film, a family-secrets film, but most of all it is a father-son film, and it is the strength of Morrell and Frederickson in these parts that allows the film to soar. Entirely believable as a father and son, both actors create completely believable and complex characters. Morrell has some devastating emotional moments and plays an extremely contentious character without adding a layer of judgment or comment. Frederickson is more reserved, an observer in his own story, but the pain, trauma and conflicted love he feels for those around him is ever-present. Although the less flashy part, it can have been no less emotionally demanding to play.

These two fine actors are backed up by a brace of extremely fine supporting players (including the great Jack Thompson in just the right role). The integrity of their performances match that of the script, which rings heartbreakingly true. The direction never tries to hide the fact that this is a serious drama about serious things, yet never falsely pulls on our heartstrings (I thought a little of Atom Egoyan). The story is powerful enough, and here the actors are allowed to tell it without a lot of directorial bells and whistles. Indeed, it's really an actor's movie, and these actors make it an intense, disturbing, and ultimately very satisfying and rich dramatic experience.

'It's not what you do it's the way that you do it'. Hmm. If you're going to make a film about a dysfunctional family who are in denial about a past tragedy, and who bring it all up over a gut- spilling weekend, do something interesting with it. As usual it's set in an unspeakably gloomy house in a dreary, desolate suburb, but it might as well be performed on an empty stage. It would certainly have been cheaper. The father is your usual beer drinking, car-obsessed, loud- mouthed bully, written, like most of the script with equal proportions of cliché and pretension, and played with lamentable obviousness. The rest of the cast come off slightly better with their archetypes: the tense, passive sister; the successful brother from the city, who runs away from conflict; and, of course, the suicidally loopy brother in the upstairs room, who never speaks. To be fair there are some moments of quiet, touching tenderness, usually when no-one is speaking. But when the olde moodily lit shot of the kitchen tap dripping popped on to the screen, it seemed to sum the whole thing up: we've seen it all before, done better.

Ten Empty is a film which Australian actors Brendan Cowell and Anthony Hayes had been developing for over several years. It stars long time Australian TV and theater actor Daniel Frederiksen (in his lead film debut) as Elliot, a big city player who returns to his childhood home in Adelaide 10 years after running off to Sydney to fulfill the wishes of his father Ross (Geoff Morrell) and his step-mum -formerly Aunt- Diana (Lucy Bell) and become the Godfather of their new baby, his half-brother. Almost immediately awkwardness driven by bitterness sets in when he returns. Diana – plagued by Catholic guilt for marrying his sister's husband– tries to accommodate Elliot with the best of intentions. However Elliot does not want her generosity, nor does he care much of his half-brother, who he casts aside like a bad disease when asked to take care of him. The fireworks really go off when Elliot comes face to face with his father. A culture clash of sorts ensues between the blue-collar dad and the big city son. The most trivial of gestures leads to colossal arguments, such as when Ross offers his son home brewed beer, only to be defiantly turned down because he only drinks red wine. A subsequent dinner scene turns into an even bigger argument, and a backyard BBQ highlights the widening gap between old school sensibilities and new school sensitivities. At first it feels like a cynical look at Australian suburbia that ventures dangerously close to becoming satire. But soon it becomes apparent what is happening. This is not a family story: This is an exorcism. A purging of guilt and remorse for past atrocities that has crippled the spirit of one family. On top of it all hangs the black cloud of mental illness, which took away the mind and life of Elliot's mother (who suffered from bipolar syndrome). Now it is Elliot's brother Brett (played by burgeoning actor Tom Budge) who has succumbed to a (unspecified) mental illness. In turn he has willingly gone mute, will not leave his room, and has become dangerous and suicidal. The family is faced with limited options as to what to do with him, crumbling under the prospect of countless pills on top of a mountain of medical bills for private care. It is a damning commentary on the Australian Governments attitude towards mental illness, and is the films strength. As can be imagined, Ten Empty is a distressing and sad film to watch. Co-writer/director Anthony Hayes sets up tense altercations for his actors, and captures the carnage in several scenes that are held in a single frame, not flinching from the conflict before him. With such heavy material (written by Hayes and Brendan Cowell), powerful performances were needed and are given by its cast. Supporting roles by the amazing Jack Thompson and Cowell lend much needed laughs to counter its heavy moments. Yet for all of its promise, it is a choppy conclusion that stops the film from becoming that something special. This is due to a major flaw in the screenplay which prompted me to question: Why is a man who is clearly mentally disturbed (with suicidal tendencies) left alone without adequate supervision? The answer, of course, is to create a shock drama moment that will have the audience reeling. The problem is that moment had come and gone in the middle of the film, and the fact that the films characters did not take precautions to make sure it would not happen again reeks of poor story telling. It is drama for drama's sake, feels predictable, and undercuts the emotional value expertly built before hand. So while Ten Empty dos contain a lot of good points, it fails to capitalize on the promise felt in its first hour.

Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews

I saw Ten Empty at an early screening and I must say, rarely are we afforded a chance to become taken in by such a raw and true story of an Australian family. Anthony Hayes and Brendan Cowell have crafted a complex and indeed unique collection of characters that will resonate with everyone. The fact that they're dysfunctional is nothing new of course, but the filmmakers have tapped into the Australian small town suburban life-cycle with such insight that the set up is fresh and actually very close and true to what most Aussies live everyday. Indeed, the element that really struck me the most while watching Ten Empty was that of its familiarity—I know these people, these places, these troubles—and even if I have never lived this life fully, I'm propelled into their lives and can't help but connect to who is on the screen. Even though the story deals with difficulties—dysfunctions, death, other issues starting with 'd'—Hayes recognises the strength in his characters and this is usually delivered through humour. When things are tough, Aussies have a laugh and then deal with it. This film appeals not only to the dramatic, but the light-hearted and the inclusion of such fine actors as Jack Thompson, Brendan Cowell and Blazey Best helps bring a real warmth and truth to the story. Ten Empty is at times sad, fierce, funny and an ultimately poignant and redeeming two hours of quality Australian cinema.

Ten Empty (2008) ***1/2

In my review of Fireflies in the Garden I railed against what I felt was that films lack of originality. I termed dysfunctional family dramas a 'dime a dozen.' While in retrospect I think that term was not the best, especially in comparative terms to the prolificness of say slasher flicks or gross-out comedies. I stand by it though because like slasher flicks or nasty teen comedies, dysfunctional family dramas tend to stick to the same dogmatic formulas. Now that is not always a bad thing. Sometimes formula is formula for good reason, and sometimes it just takes style to transcend the formulaic.

Ten Empty, a small export from Australia is something of an exception to Fireflies in the Garden. Although its not anything totally unique in terms of structure, it is in a way fresh in the subject matter and execution. Eliot (Daniel Fredricksen) returns to his small town home for his father's new son's baptism. He's moved away to Sydney, become a success in the luxury pen making business (made from the material of Porches no less) and distanced himself from his families lifestyle and past. Although he is the lead in the film, the picture does not make him any kind of hero per-say. When his father offers him a beer, he remarks that he only drinks red wine. He wears fancy clothes to everyone else's old t-shirts. He is something of a quiet snob. His father resents his poshness and exodus from the family. He resents that he doesn't drink his beer, but then again he's something of a drunk.

The family is dysfunctional, but unlike most other dysfunctional family dramas, it's for good reason, not just the sake of volatility. Eliot left after his mother, suffering from bi-polar, committed suicide. He found her body. In the years since then, his father has married her sister, Diane. She's rot with Catholic guilt for her transgressions against her sister, and seems genuinely caring, but ultimately alienated to the outside looking in, shamed and hurt by her husband's clearly continuing love and pain over his deceased wife. Eliot's younger brother, Brett, remains in his room for much of the first act. The film only slowly reveals why. He too is now beginning to suffer from some form of mental illness.

That is what lies at the heart of the family's dysfunction - their inability to cope with with such illness. They fear he's going the same way as his mother, but the father is determined that he can take care of it himself. Eliot points out that it didn't go so well with his mother. The father resents the illness of his son, and can't come to terms with his condition. After a disastrous incident, Eliot wants to have Brett sent for help with professionals, but it costs money, lots of money, money that the father does not have.

Where Fireflies in the Garden was a solidly crafted film based on what was I think ultimately misguided screenplay, Ten Empty is a strongly performed film with a solid base. There are instances which seem misjudged or unnecessary, maybe even confused, but as a whole it is strong. It's carried by its performances, all of which are very good. Fredricksen is very good, but especially good is Geoff Morrell as the father. He plays his character with shockingly misguided attempts at discipline, and often displays his scorn and dismay on his sleeve. But at the same time makes it known that he's the way he is because of the way things are. When he's cruel, its precisely because he simply cannot cope. There are a number of supporting players as well, including a bartending family friend, and a woman from Eliot's past, highlighting that though he's become posh, he's not really left but simply run away.

The family, though resentful and scornful, is clearly full of love for one another. The memories of a life once lived makes the reality of the present that much harder. This is a dark movie, peppered in a realistic fashion. It has very few moments of lightness, but it nevertheless finds a crack of light in a dark room