Miah Madden: The Films That Changed My Life

December 6, 2019
The Unlisted, Mustangs FC, Australia Day, The Gods of Wheat Street - one of Australia's most exciting young actresses tells us about the films that changed her life.

Stand By Me

This film is my favourite film of all time. It never gets old despite it being over 30 years old! Four friends go on a hike to find the corpse of a local teenager, crossing paths with many obstacles and challenges which force them to show bravery and courage. I’ve always admired the naivety of the young boys to take such a serious matter into their own hands and depicts the resilient nature of younger generations to search for answers.

Green Book

From working in the film industry for the past 10 years, I’ve been able to learn and appreciate the art of cinematography from behind and in front of the camera. Green Book is a cinematic masterpiece in my view. Green Book follows a unique narrative of a successful African-American pianist in the early ‘60s who tours through the southern-American states with an Italian-American driver and grapples with themes of injustice, resilience, racism and friendship. I was in awe of Mahershala Ali’s performance.

Vacation

Vacation has interestingly enough been one of my most watched films. I’ve seen this movie 13 times. I love it. There’s just something about the plot, cast and comedic style that makes it never get old for me. It follows the Griswolds who embark on a road trip to ‘Wally World’, a theme park from Rust Griswold’s childhood and really proves the saying that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. The Griswold family have a perfect dynamic and each family member has their own personal arc during the vacation.

The Sapphires

The Sapphires was quite literally a film that ‘changed my life’, as it was my first break into acting. At the age of nine I played the younger version of Jessica Mauboy in the flashback scenes. The Sapphires not only taught me so much about what life was like on set but also was a raw depiction of true events regarding a group of four Indigenous singers who travelled to Vietnam in the peak of the Vietnam War. The film deals which contextual events like The Stolen Generation, the racism of White Australia, the war and culture. It was certainly life changing for not only myself to better understand how my people lived decades ago but also provided representation of Aboriginal People in film and television, ultimately promoting diversity and a true reflection of Australia’s history.

Lion

Lion was a beautiful film starring one of my favourite actors, Dev Patel. The heart-warming and emotional story follows Saroo who is separated from his family at the age of 5 and is adopted by an Australian family. The film explores Saroo attempting to find his birth parents 25 years after his separation and perfectly depicts the beauty of Indian culture as it is inherent within Saroo whereby his memories are triggered by particular places, objects and scents, guiding him on his path home. Lion tells a story common to many who have lost touch with their culture and actively seek the ties that bind them to a greater identity and community. I truly enjoyed this film and easily would give it 10/10.

Check out Miah Madden’s work in The Unlisted and Mustangs FC, which are both available on iView.

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