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Adapted from Newtown Thornberg's novel of the same name, Beautiful Kate takes us on a powerful, and often painful, journey within a forbidding Australian landscape on a homestead in Wilpena Pound.
It follows the story of Ned Kendall (Ben Mendelsohn), his
relationship as a teenager with his twin sister Kate (the gorgeous Sophie Lowe), and
the emotional aftermath of a series of tragic and awkwardly confronting events which unfolded when
he was sixteen.
A
stellar cast including Ben
Mendelsohn (who is genuinely excellent in almost everything he does),
the always solid Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths and new comer Sophie
Lowe come together wonderfully here under Ward's direction to deliver a
uniquely evocative, enthralling, extremely unconventional, morally-stomach-turning love story.
Look, lets just get it out there... Beautiful Kate,
for all it's wonderfully crafted story telling and comfortingly numbing
tone, will forever be known as "That incest film, yeah?".
And that's a real shame, because it deserves more than that.
Leaving the cinema I was torn. There was so much that made me angry, so many questions left unanswered:
Should
we forgive a father who is, without question a bit of a c**nt, just
because our lead character forgives himself for unrelated past sins?
Did the father also dip his pen in family ink (which might explain a few things)?
Is it wrong to invest yourself in a love story that we as a culture frown upon?
But that's where the true glory of Beautiful Kate
lies, in that - even several days after seeing the film - I'm still
thinking about it, still wanting to discuss it, still haunted by the
heart breaking and often oddly stomach churning anguish it delivers.
It's
just so rare to see a film that truly engrosses you, makes such an
impact, and stays with you long after the final reel of film has spun
out.
G.I Joe : Rise Of Cobra this is not!
Whether it be good or bad, Beautiful Kate will make you feel... something. A perk of movie watching that is sadly absent from most flicks hitting the screens and DVD these days.
Sure, the painfully embarrassing Australian cliche's
come thick and fast (there are long dusty roads, drunk aboriginals,
kangaroos, references to the drought and witchity grubs all within the
first 20 minutes) but ultimately Beautiful Kate reels you in like a fish that's unaware that it's even been hooked.
It's a true credit to Rachel Ward's directorial abilities - as well as Tex Perkins hauntingly calming score.
Let's face facts, Beautiful Kate isn't
a fun night in on the couch. It is painful, it is often tough to
watch and it sure as hell won't get you to second or third base if it's a "date night".
But because of that, Beautiful Kate is probably one of the most rewarding film making experiences you are ever likely to encounter.
DVD Special Features
Considering the movie barely made half it's budget
back, it's quite surprising to see so much work has gone into the DVD.
A two disc Special Edition is availible in certain stores and includes
an audio commentary, a bunch of deleted scenes with optional
commentary, as well as a cool introduction by Rachel Ward, and a bunch
of short films (including the excellent The Big House), as well and an interesting script / storyboard to screen featurette. Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 70%
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