Fantastic!

A different way of telling a story

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

British actress, screenwriter and director Rachel Ward's feature film debut which she wrote the screenplay for, is an adaptation of a novel from 1982 by American author Newton Thornburg (1929-2011) and was shot on location at Flinders Ranges, the largest mountain range in South Australia. It tells the story about Ned Kendall, a writer who returns to his childhood home in Wallumbi, a farm in the Australian countryside, with his young girlfriend Toni, an aspiring actress, in order to reconcile with his estranged father Bruce who is living at the farm with his daughter who takes care of him. Ned and Toni are warmly welcomed by Ned's sister Sally, but Ned's dying father is not as enthusiastic about his son's arrival. After having settled in Ned continues to write on his memoirs, but when secrets from the past reaches the surface and Toni learns about the strange relationship Ned had to his sister Kate, she leaves him. Rachel Ward's engaging directorial debut, an Australian production, which was produced by the director's husband Bryan Brown and Leah Churchill-Brown is a character-driven psychological drama about a man haunted by memories of his adolescent years living at an isolated farm with his brother Cliff, his twin sister Kate and his strict father Bruce. With an efficient flashback narrative, this well-written independent film draws a vivid and intimate portrayal of an Australian family separated by a past which is converged with the present when a family member who abandoned his family several years ago returns to confront himself and his family with that still lingering past. This atmospheric mystery which is set against the backdrop of the stately Flinders Ranges which becomes a significant character in this family tale, examines themes such as family relations, coming-of-age, sexual awakening, guilt, incest and reconciliation and is reinforced by the compelling cinematography by cinematographer Andrew Commis and the empathic acting performances by Australian actors Ben Mendelsohn and Bryan Brown, Australian actresses Rachel Griffiths and Maeve Dermody and newcomers Josh McFarlane and Sophie Lowe in their first feature film roles. A well-paced and in-depth study of character which gained, among other awards, the AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress Rachel Griffiths at the Australian Film Institute Awards in 2009 and the FCCA Award for Best Supporting Actress Rachel Griffiths and Best Supporting Actor Bryan Brown at the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards in 2010.

Director/screenwriter, Rachel Ward has created a very moving experience in Beautiful Kate. It's a story of a dysfunctional bush family, set in the dry but magnificent country around South Australia's Flinders Ranges. Ward's husband Bryan Brown doubles as producer and actor.The death of his wife left Bruce Kendall to bring up their young children, two boys and two girls. His macho, tough approach to parenting brought nothing but disaster. A explosive mixture of adolescent sexual awakening and outback isolation was compounded by his choice of home schooling through School of the Air. The young twins Ned (Scott O'Donnell)and Kate (Sophie Lowe) were especially close.When Bruce is dying, forty-year-old Ned (Ben Mendelsohn) returns to their property with his feisty girlfriend Toni (Maeve Dermody). Writer Ned starts to record his memories as a way of burying his ghosts or closet skeletons. When his sister leaves him as carer for several days, all the old wounds are reopened. The film is a journey towards the ubiquitous closure cliché. Bruce and Ned would find much more colourful synonyms for an ending, happy or otherwise.This is a remarkably talented cast. Brown gives one of his most convincing performances and Mendelsohn impresses throughout. Rachel Griffiths as youngest sibling Sally is rock solid. Lowe does a fine job steering clear of the potential overkill inherent in her very difficult role. Dermody's scenes with Brown leave us with the certainty that there is much more depth to her character than we meet on the surface. Scott O'Donnell is a capable actor though he lacks the cheekiness and charisma of either the young or mature Mendelsohn.The father/son confrontations are classics. Wall-flies would no doubt have enjoyed the rehearsals and off-screen banter. Rachel brings out the best and worst in both of them.Kate is a well paced and structured narrative using unfolding flashbacks very effectively. Despite its themes, it is not a dark or brooding film of the kind that has been criticised lately. At one stage the older Ned cries out, "I'm still here!" in despair. As he drives back to the big smoke, these words herald a new opening.Her feature film debut as director is a triumph for Rachel Ward.Cinema Takes http://cinematakes.blogspot.com/

Set in the Australian outback, I found Beautiful Kate to be a moving experience and one of the best films about family relationships. The film is based on a book by Newton Thornburg. Unfortunately the book is out of print but hopefully the film's success will lead to it being reprinted. Kudos to Rachel Ward for bringing this to the screen and for transforming a book set in the USA seamlessly into an Australian setting. Ben Mendelsohn is superb in this challenging role. Frankly I cannot understand those who have criticised the characters and the plot as clichéd. This movie goes places others fear to tread. My spoiler alert is that the movie does contain material which some people will find disturbing or offensive. One person walked out during my session and I know that others have too. If you want to know exactly what I am referring to look up the name Alexandra Maryanski or Robin Fox on Amazon.

Beautiful Kate is a beautiful movie albeit a difficult, challenging movie but one that will remain with you long after leaving the theatre. Diane and I saw this film yesterday at SX Luna and as we waited to enter a lady exited and said she did not like anything in the film and we thought she had seen another film. Now I realise what she meant although I would vehemently disagree with her. Beautiful Kate takes place in a 30s house on a small farm with South Australia's Flinders Ranges as a backdrop: it is kind of dilapidated, very dry and probably hugely depressing to people coming from more salubrious surrounds. Bryan Brown who plays a pivotal role has been made-up perfectly to fit his part as the father of his family that must live out the mental re-enactment of long past deeds. I mention Brown because his appearance (a wonderful tribute to the makeup artist's skill) is, to me at least a metaphor for the lives of the children gathered at their families' farm. This film is raw; the title may have given the woman who so disliked it the wrong idea of its substance because the movie is exactly opposite of beautiful. Personally I thought Rachel Ward, director and writer, examined the emotions of the players brilliantly. I cannot speak highly enough about this film. We have developed a movie genre that is unique to Australia and conveys ranges of nuanced emotion that can only be dreamed about in other countries. Hollywood came close with The Last Picture Show but that was almost 50 years ago and they seem not to want to return to the genre. Make every attempt to see this movie but be aware when you walk in that the vehicle is not fancy.