Australia Day

A brilliantly executed movie set in my hometown, Brisbane, which captures many of the multicultural issues confronting modern Australia. The cast - relatively unknown apart from Bryan Brown - deliver a powerful, complex story which illustrates many of the cultural issues confronting modern societies. It was a real edge-of-the-seat production with completely unpredictable outcomes.

Australia day kicks off with several broken stories not making much sense, but carrying the most uncomfortable and unsettling vibe, so much so that I spent the better part of this movie prepared to turn it off. I don't need reminding of the regressive mindsets that are still so prevalent because having spent 10yrs of my early adulthood 16-27yrs of age in Brisbane, I know the story all too well..

The overall premise of the film is of overcoming adversity and this wasn't clear for the better part of the movie where you're left gritting your teeth to bare it. For this one however, it was worth waiting out till the end to see what the film makers where trying to do. The messages/lessons they aim to bestow hold a very relative nature, relative to the times we live, the issues we face as humans in our current condition and the relativity we hold to each other.

Don't expect to leave your viewing session with a smile on your face, but you will leave with a handful of seeds planted in your mind that should see grow, I call whatever movie or piece capable of doing this, one of great merit across the board.. and this film is no exception to that. You may not have a smile on your face, but at least in my case, you will have a few tears welled up in the corners of your eyes and a bit to ponder about.

We have a lot to address here in Australia and some of the most important topics of which start at home where this movie has based itself. Our issues aren't in the demise of agriculture, or what color skins are dating ones sister etc, but only how we relate each other.. seemingly the most overlooked of all issues until something grave impacts us such as the atrocities that are able to go on whilst we only care about ourselves.

No interesting characters infact all the characters should be in jail. A lot of scenes with people running around the streets of Brisbane. Nothing to do with Australia Day just set on that day. Has a very strange scene between brother and sister.

The number of reviews here who don't understand why this film is set on Australia Day are exactly the reason this sort of film is so important. Maybe it needs to spelt out more clearly for some. We have a long way to go as a country, and hopefully films like this assist with informing and educating, and have some sort of impact.

Not a perfect film, and yes, some bits very hard to watch. (I agree with another review who said the brother and sister scene was very strange!) But the portraits of these Australians, and the intertwining stories were really well done in my opinion. The flow was brilliant and the performances were great.

The majority of us (Australians) live in cities and towns where these stories occur. We see the product of Australia Day simmering around us, in differing forms, every day. This movie takes us beneath the surface. We're allowed to follow those people we've taken for granted, dismissed, buffered ourselves against or plain ignored because we can. As sober entertainment and something worth watching, the results are a thing to be proud of.

Stephen M Irwin and Kriv Stenders get the basics right with the writing and direction, and it shows in this movie becoming greater than the sum of its parts. Story telling and performances are solid in that benefit.

Excellent casting, awesome technical and camera unit work pull us into the lives and drama of our everyday victims and protagonists. Uniformly good writing, direction and excellent performances allow us to genuinely care about the strangers lives we're watching, Brian Brown captures the quiet desperation of an older, Australian man caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to do the right thing. Plaudits to the cameraman on his closeups of Brown. The Australian landscape and Brown's face are now synonymous. The people and drama in Australia day will resonate strongly with many Australians. It entertains and confronts us with truths we're usually able to walk past. Foreign audience will enjoy it as something casting a believable, strong reflection on Australian people, and the Australian enigma.