Duration: 119 mins
The most recent success to emerge from Australia
has undoubtedly been 2010's Animal Kingdom, which gained an Oscar nomination
amidst some very positive thoughts from the critics. Its visceral, hard-hitting
and utterly raw look at real life events aren't dissimilar to what we see in
Justin Kurzel's Snowtown.
However, what we
witness more explicitly here is the unforgiving nature of the narrative and
just how believably unnerving it is: a number of scenes will
have you squeamishly refraining from the more graphic moments of what is
essentially a very difficult film to watch. The other applicable comparison is
to Eric Bana's role in Chopper, as
both come across as enthralling, yet disturbing at times.
Based on the true
murderous past of Australia's most notorious serial killer, John Bunting
(Daniel Henshall), the film documents his life as well as those around him that
he affects during this blood-stained legacy: his wife, her children – specifically
Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) – as well as Bunting’s associates, who later become
accomplices; we are dragged into the family home that shocks from the very
beginning.
Depending on your
approach to films based on reality, you might benefit from reading up on the
subject matter prior to the film: it will provide a clearer idea as to what
takes place off-screen, as Kurzel prefers to remain – at times – ambiguous
regarding the subject matter. In fact, characters and locations are seldom
introduced and are done so with a nonchalant vagueness unsuited to traditional
narrative structure. This works well in the context of the intimate and
intrusive style of the direction: we see what the characters see, especially
during times of discussion and violence, too. Snowtown is voyeuristic as we pry
into this convoluted family set-up. The camera intrudes on
the unforgiving, shocking nature of the narrative, forcing audiences
to tolerate an uncut, uncensored grimness that defines the movie.
The story
progresses at a slow and imbalanced pace, yet feels oddly at ease with the
portrayal of the leads and indeed the events that take place. At times the
experience feels a little mundane, but that merely
serves effectively to contrast the more gruelling and extreme scenes
that are hard to absorb.
Snowtown is a brutal, no holds barred depiction of the life of a
notoriously brutal criminal. The honesty of Bunting is unhinged, as Henshall
portrays the real-life killer with a chilling realism. However, praise should
be awarded to Pittaway, whose young, vulnerable victim is the surprise
performance. Gripping and wholly unsettling throughout, it's perhaps
what isn't shown that proves most
powerful of all.
