Worth: $18.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Les Chantery, Buddy Dannoun, Waddah Sari, Rachael Taylor, Daniel Amalm, Bren Foster, Martin Henderson
Intro:
… a poignant and relevant tale of class, and the attempt to be part of a world and society that, unfortunately, may never accept you.
About twenty minutes into Serhat Caradee’s 2009 feature film debut, Cedar Boys, the fast-talking and bombastic Sam (Waddah Sari) quips, in his native Arabic, “Dreaming, huh?” as he shows his friends a wad of cash. What appears in this scene is clear, and as the narrative expands and grows, we as an audience realise that this dream that these characters are chasing is indeed just that: a dream. It is unattainable for these three young men.
Caradee’s film is being re-released after being practically intangible online for the past decade. Thanks to screenings on TV, Cedar Boys developed a cult following, in particular, in Australian cities like Sydney (where the film is set), Melbourne and Brisbane, and it is rather easy to see why.
Cedar Boys does not pretend to be anything other than itself. The language, and refreshing conversational flow is breathtaking. These characters, in-particular Nabil, played by the remarkable Buddy Dannoun, are ripped from reality. They swear, and call each other “dickhead,” or “fuckhead,” as if it’s a conjoining word, linking sentences together. This honest and authentic portrayal of language and the way in which people, in particular, ethnic friends speak, is a breath of fresh air, which is rather funny to say considering the movie was first released in 2009.
There is a moment early in the film in which the three leads, Sam, Nabil and Tarek (Les Chantery) are sitting in a car, speeding through the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, arguing over demerit points and who should take the latest hit. It was, and still is, incredibly refreshing to hear conversations between friends play out on screen as it so often does in real life.
Wearing Martin Scorsese’s influence like a badge of honour, Caradee implements unique style and flair to the motion picture, with help from cinematographer, Peter Holland. Whip pans, match-cuts and rapid zoom-ins are found throughout, drawing comparisons to Mean Streets. This influence is clear and honest, and does not exist for the sake of ‘being like Scorsese.’ It is more than that. Caradee draws a fine line between the romanticised aspect of Italian crime (as seen throughout Scorsese’s career) and the mundane reality of modern crime as seen through the perspective of these Lebanese boys.
Cedar Boys was, and still is, a poignant and relevant tale of class, and the attempt to be part of a world and society that, unfortunately, may never accept you. To the elite, white Australians, no matter what our three protagonists do, they will always be the Lebanese boys who dealt them drugs.