|
Peter Cattaneo reached a career peak with the unexpected worldwide success of The Full Monty in 1997. His follow up film, the prison comedy, Lucky Break, was only moderately successful. Now he has gone to Australia to direct the family film, Opal Dream, based on a story by Ben Rice, who also worked on the screenplay.
The unusual setting is the opal mining town in the west of New South Wales, Lightning Ridge, (but filmed in what is often referred to as a moonscape desert, Coober Pedy - referred to in the final credits as ‘Cooper Pedy’!). While these towns are generally genial, there is an underlying brutality (seen in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and macho posing in Coober Pedy). Here it is directed towards ‘Ratters’, those accused of going on to rival claims to search for opals. However, right triumphs in the end and the townspeople have to change their attitudes.
What brings this about in the first place is the imagination of Kylie Anne Williamson, played by Sapphire Boyce. Like many children, she has imaginary playmates. However, Pobby and Dignan are completely real to her – to the embarrassment of her brother, Ashmole (Christian Byers) and the concern of her parents (Vince Colosimo and Jacqueline McKenzie). When her father takes her brother to the dig, they forget about Pobby and Dignan and have to claim they lost them. She tearfully begs her father to go back and search, even on another claim. Dad is caught and branded a ratter, bashed by the men of the town and taken to court and prosecuted.
What Cattaneo has done very effectively is to make the film as he would do any drama, not gearing it particularly towards children or expectations of how children should react. This works well. Ashmole and Kelly Anne are more realistic and so is the treatment of the story. Children are on its wavelength and adults can appreciate it as well.
A group of Australian character actors, including David Field, Robert Menzies and Nicholas Bell, round out the cast of a satisfying family film.
|
News 
