Tom White

In Tom White, the title character (played by Colin Friels) "drops out" of society after a work crisis and becomes homeless. He drifts through Melbourne meeting a rent boy (Dan Spielman), an ex-junkie (Loene Carmen), a tramp (Bill Hunter) and a young graffiti artist (Jarryd Jinks).

Scripted by Australian playwright Daniel Keane, Tom White continues to explore the societal dissociation that Keane covers in his stage works. Like them, too, it suffers from heavy-handedness, resulting in impassioned performances from hollow characters.

Additionally, Keane's interest in medieval miracle plays – where every character is symbolic – clashes with director Alkinos Tsilimidos and cinematographer Toby Oliver's naturalistic film-making. Tom White is harshly lit and like Praise (1998), confronts the ugliness in Australian society. At the same time we don't know what motivates these people, and the dialogue is unrealistic. It's an uneasy mix.

Colin Friels turns in a strong performance, as does Rachel Blake as his wife. But many of the other characters are overly stagey. Tom White is at its most interesting towards the end, when Tom is interacting with the young graffiti artist, but is overall an interesting failure. **/***** stars.

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.

'Tom White' is by no means an easy film or, strictly speaking, an enjoyable one. But you come away thinking about the issues it raises, digging as it does into layers of emotional truth and 'life in the margins' (albeit, admittedly, somewhat romanticized).

Tom (a superb performance by Colin Friels) is a man who designs home for a living and then chooses to make himself homeless. Outwardly, he has all the signs of a comfortable, successful life - new home, loving family, successful if stressed career. But his shaking hands show something different - especially when it soon becomes clear that not everything is as it appears at work. Male middle aged 'crisis' is a huge issue in Australia at the moment, and the cause of many unexpected suicides. Tom White chooses a different path and cuts all bonds with his up to now normal life. He has chosen the margins, where those he meets, in spite of their position, have enormous self-dignity - the rent-boy, the ex-junkie, the gentlemanly tramp, the 14 year-old graffiti artist. Tom goes on a journey of his own and plumbs the depths of society, yet he overcomes and discovers his own dignity and understanding of who he is.

As mentioned, it can be somewhat romanticized, and there is little in the way of the real squalor of homelessness, but nevertheless the film presents food for thought in an attempt to present a broader understanding of those who are or chose to live on the fringes rather than endure life without any real meaning.

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.