Bosch & Rockit

The title "Bosch & Rockit" combine two Frank Zappa' song titles, which per se is pretty cool.

Written and directed by actor/surfer Tyler Atkins, B&R is a charming story about a teenager growing up in the beautiful Australian landscape between his passion for surfing and two disfuncional parents. While the drama side of the story could have easily made this a heavy watch, Atkins infuses the whole movie with a charming and ethereal quality that is engrossing.

The surfing scenes and overall scenery are breathtaking. Luke Hemsworth (Bosch) and pro-surfer Rasmus King (Rockit) did a stellar job in protraying their characters, and while Hemsworth's talent is well-known to anyone by now, King's acting here is nothing short of a revelation. Photography is great and the soundtrack prompted me to look it up when the movie ended.

I read somewhere that Atkins stated during a Q&A that this film is essentially about the heavy consequences of the unconscious decisions that parents make. Well, that is exactly the first thing that you'll be pondering on by the end, but also and more importantly, it leaves us with an important and often overlooked truth: it is NOT what happens to us that define us, but it is how we respond to it.

Catch it if you can.

This is a story of a boy who, neglected by his parents and lacking an anchor, turns to the ocean for solace and into himself for protection. He grows up into a man who is supposedly rooted in hippie mysticism and Sikhism, yet juxtaposed with high profile girlfriends and Hollywood projects. This autobiographical account of his early life has the same duality of being cathartic and being self-indulgent. Remove the neglect and there is little else of substance to the movie. Even the neglect fails to be compelling due to the idyllic setting.

Atkins wrote, directed and produced this movie, his first ever feature film. Whether it was budget constraints or Atkin's single-minded obsession with his own story, it was sorely in need of better writing and creative input. Luke Hemsworth and Rasmus King do a good job of portraying father and son, but their acting and chemistry alone are not enough to carry the movie. The film locations were lackluster and the cinematography does not capture the beauty of the east coast of Australia. In one scene, Rockit runs into Ash 126 km away from Byron Bay and yet the Gold Coast can be seen in the distance. The handling of the film is decidedly amateurish and the heavy reliance on the music of Ry X for the soundtrack did not help.

The title "Bosch & Rockit" may be misleading.

On one hand you might think this is a new fusion lettuce salad or a fancy electrical/farming appliance.

The reality is it's one of the best Aussie movies to feature the surf scene since Simon Bakers' "Breath" based on the Tim Winton best seller.

This drama was the star of the recent Gold Coast Film Festival and is set in the summer of 1990 along the New South Wales North Coast, The eldest of the Hemsworth acting male siblings, Luke, plays "Bosch", a dead beat dad who despite everything loves his son "Rockit".

The son is cast with a fresh new Aussie actor Rasmus King in the role.

He's actually from Byron Bay and is a pro surfer who's used to the nomadic lifestyle he plays in this movie...it was almost made for him.

Dads a farmer, of sorts, and once his crop goes up in smoke (Cheech & Chong style) the pair flee the scene and take cover in Rasmus' birth place, Byron Bay.

Fun Fact: the Motel featured in this movie is actually in Brunswick Heads.

With crooked cop "Derek" played by "Blue Heelers" star Martin Sacks (he's been in a good paddock) hot on his heels the father and son manage to make NSW's thin blue line look like Keystone Cops.

Ironically Isabel Lucas as "Deb" plays "Boschs" lover.

In real life, Luke younger brother Chris "Thor" Hemsworth was an item with Lucas after starring in a movie together.

Families are complicated.

"Rockit" is a very naive young teen who believes his alcoholic mum (Leeanna Walsman as "Elizabeth") is coming back to their tight little family.

This is the same lad mercilessly bullied at school, who believes he is on a magical surf holiday and not on the run with his drug dealer dad.

Life is like a box of chocolates for "Rockit".

Watch out for: Up and coming stunning Aussie (triple threat) model, actress, dancer Savannah La Rain as "Rockits" blooming love interest "Ash Ash" and find out how her character got her name.

All of this heartfelt storyline is backed by an Aussie BBQ soundtrack that rocks harder than a Bunnings sausage sizzle.

Unfortunately the finale of this movie is it's Achilles heel.

At its core the film feels like it's just a showcase for Director & Story Writer Tyler Atkins' calling card into Hollywood.

Shame because the surf cinematography is stunning and Australia is the winner as the backdrop.

However I can't forgive a movie that doesn't have a conclusive ending.

All screenplays need a beginning, a middle and an end.

It's not rocket surgery.

Likeable storyline of father trying to be a good father to his surf mad teenager son.

Mother is sadly having her own issues.

Unfortunately, the dark side of the father is his drug dealing and mixing with bad criminals.

The filming locations are really awesome along the East coast, especially around Byron bay and other fantastic coastal ocean locations !

Not sure whether the teenager actor was actually doing the surfing, however the surfing shots were believable.

Teenager character is also believable through good casting.

The teenage actor has such great, very long hair that girls would go crazy !

I'll start with the bad, not many people say tucker instead of food in Australia. Some of the slams was a put off, though it was made for the international market I assume.

Film location says Byron Bay here and yes some was but mostly filmed at Brunswick Heads and other places including The Stand at Coolangatta, so if the movie inspires you to book a holiday the main shops and Sails Motel are at Brunswick.

Cinematography is excellent and they take full advantage of the scenery on the NSW north coast & south QLD.

The acting is good for that type of Aussie movie.

Without adding spillers or repeating what other reviewers have written, it covers some social issues regarding parenting, and also Pottsville (yes there really is a place by that name and nature) lifestyle.

The movie is easy to watch, doesn't bog down anywhere but there is a severe language warning for younger viewers plus drug references.

Definitely worth a watch.