lucky miles

it's not very often if ever that i go to opening night of a film
but it must be the non-ratings period or equivalent for films
because they just don't seem to be turning over very often
been on the lookout for a tempting film for a while
but shrek 3, oceans 13 and harry potter 23
are not on my list of must-sees or even try-and-sees
i'd read a bit about this one and seen it reviewed on at the movies
so it was a definite on the list and tonight was opening night
not wanting to take any chances i went to the theatre
pre-dinner to secure my ticket, went off and ate and then returned
oddly enough there was no-one queuing (so much for beating the queue)
even more strange was that i walked into a completely empty theatre
but much to my relief by the time the ads and previews had rolled
a quick glance around confirmed i was not alone - 5 other people
it was not until the end of the first unexpected scene and the opening titles
that i even felt totally sure i was in the right theatre
so that was then put aside and i settled in to let this one wash over me
we're on the north-west corner of australia
on the beach with 2 separate groups of boat people
who have been dumped there and pointed off to the road to perth
....just over the top of that sand dune - see ya (suckers)
the boat is owned and operated by unsympathetic indonesians
and the abandoned passengers are cambodians and iraqis
the first part of the film leads us through a serious of events
that sees the group down to a trio of 1 of each nationality
and we are introduced to their bumbling pursuers from the local army reserve
another trio of disparate personalities and ethnic backgrounds
so it's actually quite a clever set-up of characters
and manages to avoid the politicisation that could be attached to this plot
the middle part of the film sees us wandering fairly randomly
around the stark and unforgiving australian outback
the cinemaphotography comes into its own
and probably is the star of the show at this point
as the characters are at odds with each other
and for my part i was also starting to lose interest
just wasn't too sure what to make of the situation
nor figure out what it was that i was meant to be getting from all this
my mind started wandering back to an interview i had seen with the director
michael james rowland who referred to a book i had read 7-8 years ago
called the lexus and the olive tree by thomas friedman
all about globalisation and the herd mentality of chasing the dollar
this film is apparantly the directors attempt to portray the possible fallout of that
that is the displacement of people and the accidental clash of cultures
so as i'm wandering around the outback with them i'm sort of getting it
but not entirely convinced as it seems to get lost here somewhat
but of course that is exactly what is intended
and then things start to get more interesting and even funny
friendships, trust and loyalty creep in very gently
as does a clever portayal of the ingenuity of the average bloke
when faced with some fairly dire situations
the 2 trios are kept apart but following a parallel path
and when the law and the outlaws do finally meet we expect the worst
but it's a high point of the film with some laugh out loud moments
from then on we are in total empathy with all the characters
and it's a great ride to the end of the film
i don't think it's going to do big business
but it's a genuine feel-good film
i walked out of the theatre
loving living in multi-cultural newtown
go see it