Snowtown
Sixteen-year-old Jamie longs for an escape from the violence and hopelessness that surrounds him in Adelaide's disenfranchised northern suburbs, and his salvation arrives in the form of John, a charismatic man who unexpectedly comes to his aid ... When the truth is finally revealed to Jamie his hopes of happiness are threatened by both his loyalty for, and fear of, his father-figure John Bunting, Australia’s most notorious serial killer.
3.8 out of 5 based on 14 reviews
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Omniscore:
|
| Certificate |
18 |
| Genre |
Drama |
| Director |
Justin Kurzel |
| Cast |
Lucas Pittaway, Craig Coyne, Louise Harris, Richard Green, Anthony Groves, David Walker Daniel Henshall |
| Studio |
Revolver |
| Release Date |
November 2011 |
| Running Time |
119 mins |
| |
Sixteen-year-old Jamie longs for an escape from the violence and hopelessness that surrounds him in Adelaide's disenfranchised northern suburbs, and his salvation arrives in the form of John, a charismatic man who unexpectedly comes to his aid ... When the truth is finally revealed to Jamie his hopes of happiness are threatened by both his loyalty for, and fear of, his father-figure John Bunting, Australia’s most notorious serial killer.
Reviews
The Financial Times
Nigel Andrews
“Physically the film makes you sick. So much torturing, stabbing, strangling. Morally and dramatically it is a near-masterpiece. ”
17/11/2011
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The Daily Telegraph
Tim Robey
“One of the most disturbing movies of our moment, not just for the true-crime subject, but because Kurzel’s searing technique and expertise with actors get so far under your skin. ”
17/11/2011
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Time Out
Nigel Floyd
“For all its unflinching bleakness, this is a sympathetic attempt to understand how vulnerable 16-year-old Jamie Vlassakis – from whose naive point of view the appalling events are observed – came under the malign influence of charismatic psychopath John Bunting ”
14/11/2011
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The Times
Kate Muir
“Kurzel racks up fear and tension to a get-me-out-of-here state of sheer panic. In grotty, claustrophobic kitchens, the camera creeps up from behind and almost elbows characters out of the way to get a closer look. There is no distance between the audience and the players ... We are within this world, about to aid and abet the crime.”
18/11/2011
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The Guardian
Peter Bradshaw
“A docu-Jacobean nightmare, and a dysfunctional stepfamily drama, based on the career of Australia's most notorious serial killer ... This is a well made but gruesome and often unwatchably violent film.”
17/11/2011
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Empire Magazine
Kim Newman
“An Aussie film well worth hunting down. A tough but seriously rewarding watch.”
14/11/2011
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The Evening Standard
Derek Malcolm
“The fact that most of the cast are locals from where these ghastly crimes were committed makes it easier to stomach. That way it seems the reverse of exploitative. It is, in fact, a true story told with rare skill by a new director from whom a great deal more will be heard.”
18/11/2011
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The Scotsman
Alistair Harkness
“Uncomfortable, but unforgettable. ”
18/11/2011
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Screen
Frank Hatherley
“Should you happen to come across such people as John Bunting, do please set off very quickly in the opposite direction.”
26/02/2011
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Total Film
Matt Glasby
“Grimly credible, and with more than a few flashes of brilliance, this is a highly impressive, upsetting debut. Just be warned – its chief currency is cold, numbing horror.
”
14/11/2011
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The Observer
Philip French
“Snowtown involves the audience more by making us struggle to hear what people are saying and to interpret what they are doing rather than by what we're actually shown. It's a truly shocking experience that ends suddenly, just when we're expecting a final atrocity and some climactic revelation, and we're left to ponder the events.
”
20/11/2011
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The Sunday Times
Edward Porter
“In many ways, it’s an impressive achievement for its director, Justin Kurzel, but the film is still hard to watch, and not thought-provoking enough to be worth enduring unless you’re particularly fond of gazing into the abyss.
”
20/11/2011
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The New Statesman
Ryan Gilbey
“What begins as a story of child abuse moves quickly out of the frying pan and into the belly of a raging volcano. It comes to something when you start bargaining silently with the film, asking whether we can't just go back to the child abuse.
”
17/11/2011
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The Daily Mail
Chris Tookey
“It achieves everything it sets out to, but I’m not sure who would enjoy it.”
17/11/2011
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