Dirt Music
Reviews
Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots
The worst part about the overly melancholy “Dirt Music,” a real downer of a movie, is that it’s billed as a romance. It’s anything but. The story, based on the critically acclaimed novel by Australian writer Tim Winton, is supposedly one of love and redemption. But a film that’s filled with so much tragedy and a longing for death is not exactly the type of entertainment most would enjoy watching right now. Former nurse Georgie (Kelly Macdonald) is trapped in the backwater fishing town of White Point with the local town fisherman, the ill-tempered Jim Buckridge (David Wenham). Jim and his gang run the town, especially when it comes to catching crayfish. The last thing anyone wants to do is cross them, because Jim and his buddies will often respond violently. One night, Georgie goes for a swim and meets Lu Fox (Garrett Hedlund), a hunky poacher who takes to the bay in the evenings to steal from Jim’s fish traps. She is instantly drawn to the man, and the two begin an intense affair. It’s revealed that the Foxes and Buckridges have a long, uneasy history and, fearing Jim’s fury after he discovers their tryst, Lu flees to an isolated island. Fearing the worst, especially with Lu’s depressed mental state and crippling grief over a tragic accident years ago, Georgie decides to head North to find him. The story isn’t the best, and as with many films based on novels, it feels like major chunks of the book’s plot is missing. The movie is painfully slow moving, with lots of shots of the rugged Lu smoldering as his great hair is caught by a breeze, and Georgie staring off into space with a sense of longing. It’s draggy, and that’s putting it in the kindest way possible. There’s plenty of quality filler by way of beautiful shots of the vast Australian landscape, but the overabundance of visual symbolism quickly reminds viewers that throwing your characters into water multiple times isn’t an acceptable substitute for a well-told story. The actors are appealing, but their performances are flat. There’s no compelling reason for their relationship, which is a significant problem for a supposed love story. The film had me asking why are these two a couple, and why should I care? Even worse, I left wondering “who is this movie for?”
SWITCH.
'Dirt Music' asks us to embrace two lost characters who eventually go to the edge of the earth to find themselves. Unfortunately, for us, they remain strangers to the end. - Jake Watt Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-dirt-music-a-typically-flawed-tim-winton-adaptation
Movie Recommendation
Holiday in the Sun2001-11-10Sisters Alex and Madison are whisked away to the Bahamas for winter break but soon find themselves crossing paths with a man smuggling stolen artifacts.More...
Addicted to Love1997-05-23Good-natured astronomer Sam is devastated when the love of his life leaves him for a suave Frenchman. He therefore does what every other normal dumpee would do — go to New York and set up home in the abandoned building opposite his ex-girlfriend's apartment, wait until she decides to leave her current lover, and then win her back.More...
The Movie Teller2023-10-27María Margarita is the youngest of four siblings in a family living in a mining town in the Atacama Desert (Chile). The most special time of the week for this family is Sunday, when they all go to the movies to enjoy stories that let them escape their everyday lives by transporting them to other worlds. The girl’s parents soon realise that the little girl has a very special gift: an almost uncanny ability to recount movies. The girl’s extraordinary talent will spread throughout the village, changing the fortunes of her family as the country is transformed forever.More...
Yes, I Do2018-06-30Busy chocolatier Charlotte has left her boyfriend James at the altar three times and now she needs to prove to him that she really does want to marry him. Things are complicated when James’ ex-girlfriend Nicole, who is also the owner of Chocolate Monthly Magazine, arrives on the scene and says she wants him back.More...
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser2015-07-16When happy family man Joe Dirt finds himself transported to the recent past, he begins an epic journey to get back to his loved ones in the present.More...
Abusamos del alcohol2023-01-31When Lucía's cousin arrives, unexpectedly, to settle in the house of a marriage in crisis, love and fidelity will be put to the test, bringing tragic consequences.More...
Measure for Measure2020-09-03An improbable love affair flares up between Karima, a modern Muslim girl, and Claudio, a local musician, in Melbourne's most notorious housing estate, where ruthless gangs rule, drug abuse spreads and racial tension grows.More...
Bill & Ted Face the Music2020-08-27Yet to fulfil their rock and roll destiny, now middle-aged best friends Bill and Ted set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. Along the way, they are helped by their daughters, a new batch of historical figures and a few music legends — to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony to the universe.More...
Sorry If I Call You Love2014-06-20A successful, attractive, intelligent and brilliant advertising executive is longing to finally find emotional stability in his life, and decides to propose to his girlfriend. After she refuses his proposal, his life takes a turn when a new young lady enters his life.More...
Troll Hunter2010-10-29A group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.More...
Dinosaur2000-05-19An orphaned dinosaur raised by lemurs joins an arduous trek to a sancturary after a meteorite shower destroys his family home.More...
The Hating Game2021-12-09Resolving to achieve professional success without compromising her ethics, Lucy embarks on a ruthless game of one-upmanship against cold and efficient nemesis Joshua, a rivalry that is complicated by her growing attraction to him.More...
The Lost City2022-03-24Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to the ancient city's lost treasure that featured in her latest story. Alan, determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, sets off to rescue her.More...
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny2023-06-25Finding himself in a new era, and approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact doesn't fall into the wrong hands.More...
Mortal Kombat2021-04-07Washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young, unaware of his heritage, and hunted by Emperor Shang Tsung's best warrior, Sub-Zero, seeks out and trains with Earth's greatest champions as he prepares to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.More...
Amélie2001-04-25At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. But when she bumps into a handsome stranger, will she find the courage to become the star of her very own love story?More...
Barbie2023-07-19Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.More...
Us2019-03-14Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.More...
Dunkirk2017-07-19The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.More...
Gone Girl2014-10-01With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.More...