Australian cinema has a long history of outlaw heroes, and this independent feature – about the friendship that develops between a teenage criminal on the run and the terminally ill girl he kidnaps – fits squarely within that tradition. But while the film has much to recommend it in terms of its acting and visual language, its jarring tonal shifts and insistence on downplaying its protagonist’s criminality make it a distinctly uneven experience, argues Thomas Redwood.
It tells us something about Australian identity that so many of our favourite cultural heroes are outlaws: thieves, bandits, cop killers. Our mythology is littered with violent rebels who take up arms against law and order. From Ned Kelly to Mark ‘Chopper’ Read, the criminal has long been a figure of national adoration.1
Perhaps…
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Metro (Digital) - 1 Issue, No. 208