Accidents Happen
Review
by Anthony Morris
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Accidents Happen
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It's been all downhill for Billy Conway (Harrison Gilbertson) since the car accident that killed his sister and
put his brother into a coma. His parents are divorced, his mother
(Geena Davis) is a bitter shrew and his other brother (Harry Cook) is a
drunken thug. Striking up a friendship with his comatose
brother's best friend Douglas (Sebastian Gregory) might not be the best
way to leave behind his past, butit's not like he has much of a future. Filmed in Australia but set in America, Aussie director Andrew Lancaster (working from American Brian Carbee's script) does a spot-on job of recreating 1982 in all its dead-eyed blandness. It's
a tricky job to create this kind of twilight (meaning mood, not
vampires) world without pushing things into music video territory, but
he avoids the trite sentiment that often mars coming-of-age tales,
working hard to ensure the story earns both the laughs and the somber
moments that make this so believable. Sadly, the same can't be
said for all of the performances: Davis is great, but the teens
occasionally fail to fully express all the scripts' nuances. For one,
is there more than friendship between Billy and Douglas? It feels like
there might be, but the actors performances (which seem so assured when
they'replaying off against adults) are too hesitant to express the subtleties required. Acting wobbles aside, this is a rare example of a poignant tale of teen yearning that actually does feel heartfelt and true. 3 out
of 5
Accidents Happen
Australian release: 22nd April,
2010
Official
Site: Accidents Happen
Cast: Geena Davis, Harrison Gilbertson, Erik Thomson and Joel Tobeck
Director: Andrew Lancaster
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