Downriver

If Stephen King wrote a novella set in Australia this would be its love child! However we are not in the state of Maine, but in a river town in Australia. Young James has served his time for allegedly drowning a boy when he was only a child and is being released; the body of the boy however was never found. James, having little memory of what occurred on the day, goes in search of answers and hence back to the river town where the incident occurred. This tense film mystery is at times quite macabre and often brutal, but through it's wonderful lead actor Reef Ireland it also has emotional depth. This is an auspicious feature debut for director Grant Scicluna, who also wrote the screenplay; his sense in creating such a dark and intense mood throughout the film is quite an achievement. Kudos must also be given to Tom Green who plays James' mysterious and troubled childhood friend, and of course the great Kerry Fox who plays James' mother. I saw the film recently at a film festival in Sydney to a packed audience, where it was warmly received. It deserves a much wider audience.