Tom White

"Tom White" has been given only a very limited release in Australia, and this coupled with its unrelenting grimness means it may not achieve the critical

success it deserves.

It's a very fine film, perhaps the best and most substantial Australian film for some time. It's refreshing to find an Australian film that's not cutely folksy or condescending to its characters, subject matter or audience.

The script falters occasionally but is generally tight and convincing. The

photography is stunningly beautiful. Direction and acting are also outstanding and deserve to collect several AFI Awards. Besides Friels' stunning starring role, Hunter and Blake merit special mention . Several other small roles offer varying delights in a film that's both episodic yet well structured in its depiction of the picaresque descent from middle class respectability of the eponymous hero.

"Tom White" is an edgy movie that goes in directions you don't expect. Although it is an Australian film, what happens to Tom White could take place in any modern city.

Tom, played by Colin Friels, is an architect with a wife and two children who has a typical suburban lifestyle - comfortable, but predictable. He feels trapped, and after problems at work, has a breakdown. He abandons family and job and enters another realm altogether, that of a homeless person, his life then becomes anything but comfortable and predictable.

The director of "Tom White", Alkinos Tsilimidos, said in an interview, "I think without risk, life can be pretty boring, so I approach making my films with risk. If it was safe territory, I mean, how boring would it be to turn up to work and know you're in safe territory?"

"Tom White" is not safe territory.

Tom is a flawed character; that he retains our sympathy is a credit to Colin Friels' screen chemistry. The experiences Tom has on the streets are risky - physically and morally. He is mugged, and for a while, he shares a house, and eventually a bed with a young gay man, although he isn't gay.

He moves onto an affair with a woman who works in a fairground played by Loene Carmen, the memorable star of "The Year My Voice Broke." She is trying to break from the drug scene but the affair ends brutally as do many of Tom's encounters on the streets.

Tom is invited into the world of derelict buildings and Salvation Army refuges when he joins up with Malcolm, something of a street philosopher played by Bill Hunter. Finally, Tom encounters a boy from a dysfunctional home; a relationship that could easily be misunderstood. However, he protects the boy and begins to realise how much he has let down his own family.

The scene where he meets his wife again is powerful, but unpredictable like everything else in the movie. Rachael Blake as Helen White communicates a lot with just a look; she is quite brilliant. In the end, although Tom has been affected by all the characters he met, we doubt that he has found the answers he sought because he hardly knew the questions to ask.

The film has a similar theme to "Kiss the Sky" starring William Petersen. Although that movie has a different setting, the main character abandons family and job to seek something within himself that he can hardly explain. Both films end on an ambiguous note.

"Tom White" received many awards and Colin Friels was justly praised for his role as Tom. Although some segments play better than others, it is a challenging and compelling movie.

This is a thought-provoking Australian film about the subject of untreated mental illness and the total isolation from family and friends which can follow. It shows how those who suffer from mental health problems may try to cope with the situation themselves rather than seek medical attention. It's a dark and brooding film, which explores the twists and turns of life on the street, and shows us how difficult such a life can be. The movie avoids sentimentality and leaves the viewer to ponder where untreated depression and related mental health issues may ultimately lead.

Colin Freils provides a wonderful character study in his role as Tom. Unfortunately, though, some of the support acting is decidedly lacklustre. Nice camera work throughout.

'Tom White' contrasts strongly with several other well-known films dealing with mental illness: 'A Beautiful mind' was a glossy big-budget production with a positive message, and 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' focused on an institutional setting.

There is a small percentage of homeless people who drop out of society completely by choice. This fact never seems real to those of us who have stable families, jobs and routines. Most often these people have an abiding antipathy for the values which society proclaims as worthwhile. Tom White is one of these people. This film is perhaps a little overly optimistic in its depiction of White's fate. I expect that bean counters would have had some role here. The plot is bleak enough without being too realistic. What the film does do is remind us of what a treasure we have in Colin Friels. I can't imagine too many actors who could have played such an anti-social part, but still made us care about what happens to him. Homelessness is an issue most Australians never have to face, and do not understand. I laud the producers of this film for this attempt to remove the lid on such an important issue.

saw this film not knowing what to expect and was surprised. I like that it made me think and i also like that i was still thinking 2 days later. I did question at the end of the film whether or not it had given me sufficient closure, given the context of the film, but i have revaluated that thought. I think this was an awesome film, and i would recommend it to anyone. Colin friels did an awesome job ( i love his work, for something different from this film check out a good man in africa, an oldie but a goodie). Rachel blake also did a good job of fitting into a role that was hard to distinguish and the secondary homeless people were also played in a believable and hard hitting way.