Main Page
Alphabetical Menu
The "S" Menu
Release Date: April 21st, 2006 (Landmark Sunshine Cinemas) by Magnolia Pictures. The Cast: Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran, Erik Thomson, Hollie Andrew, Leah Purcell, Olivia Pigeot, Blake Pittman, Nathaniel Dean. Directed by Cate Shortland. BASIC PREMISE: At the age of 16, Heidi (Cornish) runs away from her mother and comes-of-age in a small town far from Australian home. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: During early scenes, Heidi runs away from home after kissing her mother’s boyfriend while her mother (Pigeot) catches them in the act. Soon enough, Heidi ends up in a small, snowy Australian town where she meets a kind woman who lets her temporarily stay in her son’s apartment. She also meets Joe (Worthington) a mysterious older boy who mainly loves to drink and have sex—at least he gives Heidi at least a little bit of attention. The minimal plot feels tedious at times, but what’s really frustrating is how the script rarely shows Heidi’s internal growth as she reacts to the dangerous outside world—especially regarding love and sex. As Heidi, Abbie Cornish looks beautiful, but she doesn’t have enough material here to truly shine. Heidi meanders along with the plot, which simply fails to have enough conflict to grab your attention. On a positive note, director Cate Shortland makes the best of out of the beautiful locations with very lush cinematography. If only she were to spend more time tightening the conflicts in the script to make or at least having more imagination while expanding Heidi as a more true-to-life character who you can actually care about. SPIRITUAL VALUE: Unfortunately, none. INSULT TO YOUR INTELLIGENCE: Minimal plot and character development. Not enough conflict. NUMBER OF TIMES I CHECKED MY WATCH: 6 IN A NUTSHELL: Lush cinematography with very weak character and plot development. RECOMMENDED WAY TO WATCH: VHS/DVD Main Page Alphabetical Menu The "S" Menu ______________________________________________________ |
The NYC Movie Guru
themovieguru101@yahoo.com
Privacy Policy