By Erin Free
Worth: $18.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Martin Dingle Wall, Maggie Gwin, Larry Cedar, Jacob Ward, Rainey Qualley
Intro:
...a damn fine piece of cinema indeed.
The western genre is one that never dies, regardless of how many commentators might declare it dead and buried. It might not be the most fashionable of genres right now, but the humble horse opera still keeps appearing, particularly on the indie fringes of the cinema scene. That’s exactly where the highly accomplished and profoundly affecting This Bloody Country rides in from, kicking aside the restraints of its low budget to stand tall as something truly special. Classic in form and style, this singularly impressive feature debut from short filmmaker Craig Packard still kinks a few wrinkles into the western genre with its sensitive approach and feminist leanings.
Against a harsh but beautiful backdrop, a Mormon family – officious patriarch Josiah Ballard (Larry Cedar), his three wives (Cameron Meyer, Maggie Gwin, Rainey Qualley), his much younger brother (Jacob Ward), and various children – heads into the wilderness with the blessings of the church to start a new community. Their guide is gunman Ned Campbell (Martin Dingle Wall), a displaced Australian with a violent history as a Pinkerton detective, hired by the church to get the Ballard family to their destination safely. After a deadly encounter with three bandits, Ned really has to earn his money, much to the chagrin of the imperious Josiah, who believes God will look after them. “Those men want to take what’s yours,” Ned says to Josiah about the likely possibility of more bandits coming after them, “and I’m not talking about your food and water.”
The plot might be simple, but there’s a hell of a lot going on in This Bloody Country. Craig Packard’s rich, nuanced script gives vivid breath to its principal characters, all of whom emerge as three-dimensional, fully rounded people. With so much to work with, the actors really soar. Hard working Aussie actor Martin Dingle Wall is sensational in flinty anti-hero mode, providing compelling glimpses into the well of pain from which his man-of-action sadly draws, while Larry Cedar offers a brilliant counterpoint as the stubborn, misogynist, superior family patriarch. While Cameron Meyer and Rainey (sister of Margaret) Qualley are terrific in smaller roles, the real scene stealer here is Maggie Gwin, whose subtle, deeply felt performance as the most put upon of the three wives is utterly heartbreaking in its authenticity.
Though This Bloody Country is not perfect (the action sequences are a little underdone and some of the dialogue feels slightly anachronistic), it’s a damn fine piece of cinema indeed. Beautifully performed across the board, strongly characterised, poetically paced, and gripping in the extreme, this emotionally rending western will stay with you long after the gunsmoke has cleared.
This Bloody Country will screen at The Gold Coast Film Festival on April 29. Click here for all ticketing, session and venue details.
