 |
| Linney and Byrne shine in Lawrence's celebrated film. |
Directed by Ray Lawrence
Produced by Catherine Jarman
Written by Beatrix Christian (from a Raymond Carver story)
Starring Laura Linney and Gabriel Byrne
Plot Summary: After a group of men find a corpse on a fishing trip, their mistake haunts their homes and community.
Significance: Often cited as one of Australia’s finest movies in recent years, the film was nominated for nine Australian Film Institute awards, including Best Film. Among other prizes, it also won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film at the Stockholm Film Festival.
Thoughts: Perhaps better known for the masterful dramatic thriller Lantana, Ray Lawrence’s minimalistic approach is all over this Raymond Carver adaptation. It’s a potboiler that’s both humanistic and at times removed from its characters. Laura Linney and Gabriel Byrne give great performances, but the film has a tendency to wander at its own, often sluggish, pace. Structurally, I admire it, though it could’ve been more effective. I’d recommend Lantana over this, but Jindabyne is hardly a bad film - just an uneven one.
Rating: B+
This is the eleventh film in my 2016 Blind Spot Series, as first started by Ryan McNeil.
I definitely preferred Lantana but this had some interesting parts. The men were pretty contemptible for the audience to feel much sympathy for but Laura Linney's performance made up for that. For me she was the standout. I wouldn't watch it again but I'm not sorry I made a point to seek it out.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can see why it has its fans, but I'll probably never watch it again.
DeleteI've always meant to see this film myself but haven't gotten around to it yet. Someday.
ReplyDeleteHaha, someday! :)
Delete