Kid Snow

It's nice to root for domestic creators, so I took a chance on seeing this in cinemas in spite of very little information on it being available at the time. Sometime, this approach works, but this wasn't one of those times.

Now, Paul Goldman certainly tries his hand at what he must have considered a complex and ambiguous narrative. For instance, the subplot with exotic dancing was presumably meant to demonstrate the hypocrisy around sex and immigration in the early 20th century Australia. We see how the audience fetishize Sunny, a white woman pretending to be a Middle Easterner in her shows - while the country at large had slammed the door to actual people from that region in those years under the despicable White Australia policy. The subplot also clearly aims to show Sunny can still be a good mother even in such a line of work.

Yet, all of this is still the B plot, and the main boxing plotline never manages to become interesting - and eventually becomes outright tiresome. We are shown pretty early on the Kid doesn't really have it in him to win - and he is never really shown meaningfully improving, so you eventually expect him to win only "because this is what happens in the stories", and in contradiction to anything on the screen.

Worse, it is not very clear WHY it matters for Kid Snow to win anything. His elder brother, Rory, who owns the travelling circus that employs both him and Sunny is such a total scumbag that you really don't want him to benefit in any way. You eventually just have to root for the other performers, who would obviously lose out badly if Rory folds up tent - but we are not shown a whole lot of them, and with Rory crowding them all out, it's tempting to believe they would be better off in the long run doing just about anything else.

Kid Snow is a well-crafted film with stunning cinematography, fantastic locations, impressive production design, and authentic period costumes. The cast delivers solid performances, with a standout being Phoebe Tonkin, who brings her A-game. Her performance is not only captivating but truly mesmerizing. While the rest of the cast is competent, none particularly stand out.

However, despite its strengths in visuals and performances, the film itself is mediocre. The narrative juggles two storylines, but the secondary plot ultimately overshadows the main one, creating an imbalance. The film attempts to tell a story about tragedy but never fully delves into the past trauma it hints at. Instead, much of the focus remains on Phoebe Tonkin's character, Sunny, and her son.

The pacing is extremely slow, embodying the typical indie Australian film aesthetic with outback settings and a subdued tone. Unfortunately, the story lacks strength and engagement, making it difficult to sit through. While the concept of a circus / freak show presents interesting possibilities, it remains underdeveloped.

This highlights a broader issue: a lack of rigorous script analysis and development. Not every idea warrants a full-length feature, and this script needed more refinement. The boxing storyline should have been the driving force-the main event-but instead, the film meanders in too many directions, leaving the audience confused about its ultimate purpose.

There's a noticeable absence of tension, conflict, or raised stakes. The main character lacks clear motivation, remaining passive rather than actively pursuing a goal. Had the film leaned into a more compelling, character-driven narrative, it could have had the grit of Rocky, Raging Bull, or even the emotional weight of Cinderella Man.

Australian producers need to prioritize stories with strong rewatch value. Would audiences revisit this film? Or is it just another project pushed through for the sake of production? Mediocre storytelling is becoming far too common, and it's frustrating to see the potential wasted.

On a technical level, Kid Snow boasts solid cinematography and production value, with competent direction. The score, however, could have been more emotionally evocative. In the end, while the film is visually polished, it ultimately delivers a below-average experience.