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QPIX STUDENTS ARE TROPFEST FINALISTS
Graduates of QPIX’s 2011 Diploma of Production course have won their way into the finals of TROPFEST, the world’s largest short film festival, with their student production PHOTOBOOTH. Set in the Afghanistan conflict, PHOTOBOOTH is one of a sequence of...
'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' Out February 10
(Nationwide)
Over The Fence Comedy Film Deadline
(Nationwide)
Rottofest 2012: Call For Entries Now Open!
(Nationwide)
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Geoffrey Rush Joins Tropfest
The acclaimed actor and newly-crowned Australian of the Year, Geoffrey Rush, will be a key player in 2012’s Tropfest activities.
Naomi Watts To Play Princess Diana
The Aussie actress is set to play the people’s princess in an upcoming film that chronicles the final two years of Diana’s life.
Sullivan Stapleton Signs On To ‘300’ Prequel
The Aussie actor has beat out the competition to land a role in the upcoming blockbuster.
James Cameron Loses Long Time Australian Collaborators
Producer Andrew Wight and cinematographer Mike deGruy lose their lives in a helicopter crash.
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Animal Kingdom: Homegrown Crime
In the wake of Underbelly's success, Sundance's top pick Animal Kingdom delves into Melbourne's criminal underworld during the eighties
Although it is considered one of the world's most liveable cities, Melbourne is also a hotspot for criminal gangs and unsavoury business. Or so movies and TV shows would have us believe.
There's Underbelly, a TV phenomenon which showcased the underground crime world which runs through the city. It's gained a huge fanbase and made every person that walks through Lygon Street - aka Little Italy - question whether or not those Italian guys sitting in smoky restaurants like extras from The Sopranos are as harmless as they seem.
Animal Kingdom, the debut feature from David Michod, follows in the footsteps of Underbelly by taking us to the Melbourne suburbs, which underneath their tranquil façade are home to criminal gangs. J (newcomer James Frecheville) has a normal family: friendly uncles and a loving grandma who cares deeply about her sons. Suburbanites like any other, except that they're also wanted bank robbers at war with the local police.
Thankfully, what the film portrays is not indicative of today; it is supposedly set during the ‘80s, when the crime rate was much higher, and based on the real life Walsh Street shootings, where two officers were mysteriously gunned down, all of which led to a bloody turf war. However, aside from the prominent use of Air Supply's "All Out of Love" and the absence of cell phones, the decade isn't dwelled upon. After all, crime is supposed to be a never-ending cycle, and even though things aren't as heated as before, crime is still a reality.
If anyone should have issues with their portrayal, it's the local Armed Robbery Squad, mostly shown as a bunch of tough, corrupt vigilantes who have no compunction in gunning down suspects. The exception is Leckie, the no-nonsense, straight-as-an-arrow cop played by Guy Pearce.
Melbourne residents shouldn't think that the movie is portraying them in a negative light. On the contrary, Animal Kingdom is a source of pride. David Michod's first film is a good local production, a well-made crime movie that stands tall in its genre among works like Goodfellas (with which it shares many similarities, including seeing the criminal world through an outsider's perspective). It's already arriving in its home country with good word of mouth and a Sundance Film Festival win (the Grand Jury Prize, no less); more than enough reason for Melbournians to flock to it and enjoy themselves.
Animal Kingdom is in cinemas June 3, 2010.