By Jackie Shannon
EVENT DETAILS
Sunday May 29, 7:45pm, ACMI, Melbourne BUY MELBOURNE TICKETS HERE
Monday May 30, 7:00pm, The Ritz Cinema, Randwick, Sydney BUY SYDNEY TICKETS HERE
“Told through the fragmented and heightened senses of a boy on the cusp of manhood, this is a dreamy story about what it means to be alone and how valuable it is to feel connected.”
Jeff Giordano, San Francisco Indie Fest
“An alienated teenager from a highly dysfunctional family – has a talent for bucking authority…his teenage rebelliousness erupts with catastrophic results. Well crafted…superb cinematography…excellent music.”
George Heymont, The Huffington Post
“The independently made debut feature from Melbourne-based writer/director, Martin McKenna, Is This The Real World is a goddamn corker. In the vein of Animal Kingdom, Muriel’s Wedding, and Lantana, Is This The Real World is an upsettingly close and unfiltered look at Australian life: our family dynamics, our adolescent relationships, and our experience with education and authority.”
Sophia Watson, FilmInk
Though rarely celebrated, Australia has a rich and vivid history of teen films, and Is This The Real World is another striking entry into this cruelly under-celebrated sub-genre. Gritty but poetic, the film swirls around the character of Mark Blazey, a high school kid who’s going to stay young…even if it kills him. Growing up in an Australian coastal town, Mark locks into a relentless battle of wills with a controlling teacher, while his family is breaking apart, and first love is beating at his door. Is This The Real World is the independently made first feature from Melbourne based writer/director, Martin McKenna, and it marks a bold and promising debut. Featuring a smouldering performance by emerging star, Sean Keenan (Puberty Blues, Glitch), as Mark, and powerful support from Susie Porter, Greg Stone, Charlotte Best, and Matt Colwell – better known as groundbreaking local hip hop star, 360 – Is This The Real World is a slow burn journey into the mind of a 17-year-old, and a piercingly real portrait of a family on the edge.
Is This The Real World will make its local bow with two very special FilmInk Presents premiere events, with post-screening Q&A sessions with director/writer, Martin McKenna, and actor, Sean Keenan, in Sydney, and Martin McKenna and Matt Colwell in Melbourne.
