Here Out West

Last updated

Here Out West
Directed by
Written by
  • Nisrine Amine
  • Bina Bhattacharya
  • Matias Bolla
  • Claire Cao
  • Arka Das
  • Dee Dogan
  • Vonne Patiag
  • Tien Tran
Produced by
  • Bree-Anne Sykes
  • Annabel Davis
  • Sheila Jayadev
CinematographyTania Lambert
Edited byMartin Connor
Music byAmanda Brown
Running time
100 minutes
CountryAustralia
Languages
  • English
  • Arabic
  • Bengali
  • Cantonese
  • Kurdish
  • Tagalog
  • Turkish
  • Vietnamese
  • Spanish

Here Out West is a 2021 Australian anthology film set in culturally diverse Western Sydney. It is made up of eight stories from eight writers and features nine languages. The film has been praised for its positive portrayal of the diversity of Western Sydney. It was the opener for the 2021 Sydney Film Festival. [1] [2]

Contents

Synopsis

The film consists of eight loosely connected sections, each following different characters in Western Sydney.

We, the Spiders

Nancy (Genevieve Lemon) is unexpectedly left to babysit her neighbour Amirah (Mia-Lore Bayeh). She visits her imprisoned daughter in the hospital where she had just given birth to a baby named Grace, and kidnaps the baby.

Everything Changes

Jorge (Christian Ravello), a security guard in the hospital's carpark who has a fraught relationship with his son, writes poetry in Spanish while working. Nancy tries to leave the hospital with Grace, and as Jorge runs after her, his son stumbles across Jorge’s notebook, reading one of his poems.

Brotherhood

Three friends—Dino (Thuso Lekwape), Rashid (Rahel Romahn) and Robi (Arka Das)—get into a fight. They see a man get hit by a car (driven by Nancy, who flees), and carry him to the hospital. The segment ends with Ashmita (Leah Vandenberg) approaching Robi.

The Eternal Dance

Ashmita is at the hospital visiting her dying father. He reverts to speaking only his native Bengali, so Ashmita asks Robi to interpret. Ashmita sings the song "Mama Chitte" and her father has a moment of lucidity.

The Musician

A Kurdish bağlama -maker tries to find work in Australia to support his family.

Brother Tom

Tom returns to his old neighbourhood.

The Long Shift

A Filipina nurse works a long shift at the hospital, during which she witnesses Nancy kidnapping the baby.

Closing Night

A mother and daughter work together on the closing night of their restaurant.

Background and development

Each subsection of the film was written by an emerging writer, all from different backgrounds. The film includes dialogue in ten languages: Tagalog, Bengali, Arabic, Kurdish, Spanish, Turkish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Kurmanji, and English. [3]

The food docu-series 8 Nights Out West was inspired by the movie, hosted by Here Out West writer and actor Arka Das. Each episode features a member of the cast or crew showcasing and discussing food from their cultural background. The docu-series aired in anticipation of the launch of Here Out West on the ABC's streaming service. [3]

Cast

Reception

Tania Lambert, writing in The Converation , considers that "the film while imperfect in that some stories are stronger than others, is a nuanced examination of race and class." [4] The Guardian 's Luke Buckmaster gave it 3 stars and concluded that "the film comes across more as a number of parts rather than the sum of them. This is a drama of modest qualities, more adept at painting pockets of time in the characters’ lives rather than self-contained (or thematically related) narratives." [5] Wenlei Ma of news.com.au gave it 3 1/2 stars, saying "The result is a collection of stories that is genuine, moving and revealing. They have something to say about a community that’s home to millions of Australians and whose stories are often told by outsiders and without compassion." [6]

Reviewing for The Sydney Morning Herald , Paul Byrne awards the film 4 stars finishing "It’s a clever construction, and it helps that there is only one editor, Martin Connor, keeping the tone consistent throughout." [7] Also in The Sydney Morning Herald, Debi Enker gives it 4 1/2 stars, stating: "Getting the tone, pace and balance right on an anthology isn’t easy. This inventive and insightful production nails it." [8]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2022 12th AACTA Awards Best Film Here Out West – Co-curious and Emerald ProductionsNominated
[9]
Best Costume Design Wendy Cork Nominated
Audience Choice Award for Best ActorChristian RavelloNominated
2023 Logie Awards of 2023 Most Outstanding Supporting Actor Arka Das Nominated
[10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony LaPaglia</span> Australian actor (born 1959)

Anthony LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He has won three AACTA Awards, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lantana (2001) and Balibo (2009), and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Nitram (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornelia Frances</span> Australian actress (1941–2018)

Cornelia Frances Zulver, OAM, credited professionally as Cornelia Frances, was an English-Australian actress. After starting her career in small cameos in films in her native England, she became best known for her acting career in Australia after emigrating there in the 1960s, particularly her iconic television soap opera roles with portrayals of nasty characters. she also worked on stage and in voice-over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Helliar</span> Australian comedian and broadcaster

Peter Jason Matthew Helliar is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of The Project on Network Ten from January 2014 to December 2022, replacing previous presenter Dave Hughes to host alongside Carrie Bickmore, Waleed Aly and Lisa Wilkinson. Helliar also appeared with Rove McManus as his sidekick on The Loft Live from 1997 to 1998, on Rove from 1999 and 2009 and in Before the Game as alter ego Bryan Strauchan. Helliar initially worked the Melbourne comedy circuit in the mid-1990s, performing in various venues and the annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He has performed in numerous television ads, most notably for Fernwood Fitness. Helliar has been nominated for the Gold Logie, a prestigious award bestowed upon the Most Popular Personality on Television in 2017.

Ana Kokkinos is an Australian film and television director and screenwriter of Greek descent. She is known for her breakthrough feature film Head On (1998), and has directed television shows such as The Secret Life of Us and The Time of Our Lives.

<i>The Doctor Blake Mysteries</i> Australian television crime drama series

The Doctor Blake Mysteries is an Australian television series that premiered on ABC TV on 1 February 2013 at 8:30 pm. The series stars Craig McLachlan in the lead role of Dr. Lucien Blake, who returns home to Ballarat, northwest of Melbourne, in the late 1950s to take over his late father's general medical practice and role as police surgeon after an absence of 30 years. Five series aired as of 2017, with a telemovie to close the program at the completion of the fifth season.

<i>Vishwaroopam II</i> 2018 film by Kamal Haasan

Vishwaroopam II, or Vishwaroop II, is a 2018 Indian action spy film written and directed by Kamal Haasan and co-written by Atul Tiwari and Chakri Toleti. It is the sequel to Vishwaroopam (2013) and features Kamal Haasan alongside Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur, Pooja Kumar and Andrea Jeremiah, reprising their roles. While the first film was set in the United States, Vishwaroopam II takes place in India. The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil and Hindi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Demetriades</span> Australian actress

Andrea Demetriades is an Australian actress known for her television, theatre and film roles.

The Warriors is an eight-part Australian television comedy-drama series that premiered on ABC on 12 April 2017, created by Tony Briggs and Robert Connolly.

Pulse is an Australian television drama series that was first screened on ABC TV on 20 July 2017 and ended after eight episodes on 7 September 2017.

Sunshine is an Australian crime drama series which debuted on SBS on 18 October 2017. The four-part miniseries is an Essential Media production, directed by Daina Reid and written by Matt Cameron and Elise McCredie.

<i>Safe Harbour</i> (TV series) Australian television series

Safe Harbour is a four-part Australian thriller drama series first broadcast on SBS on 7 March 2018. The series follows a group of friends who travel from Brisbane on a sailing holiday of a lifetime to Indonesia, who cross paths with a fishing boat overloaded with asylum seekers en route to Australia, which alters their lives forever.

<i>Mystery Road</i> (TV series) Australian television series

Mystery Road is an Australian television crime mystery series whose first series screened on ABC TV from 3 June 2018. The series is a spin-off from Ivan Sen's feature films Mystery Road and Goldstone, taking place in between the two. Aboriginal Australian detective Jay Swan, played by Aaron Pedersen, is the main character and actor in both the films and in the first two TV series, each of six episodes.

Les Norton is an Australian television drama series screened on ABC on 4 August 2019. It is adapted from a series of fiction books written by Australian author Robert G. Barrett and stars Alexander Bertrand as the protagonist, Les Norton.

The Hunting is an Australian drama series starring Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh, screening on SBS TV and SBS on Demand on 1 August 2019. The four-part miniseries was created by Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack at Closer Productions, and co-directed by Ana Kokkinos.

Total Control is an Australian television political drama series first screened on ABC TV in October 2019. Its working title was Black Bitch, but that was deemed too controversial and the series was renamed. Season 2 began airing on 7 November 2021, and the final season premiered on the ABC on 14 January 2024.

Operation Buffalo is an Australian television comedy-drama series written and directed by Peter Duncan that screened on ABC TV from 31 May 2020.

The Twelve is an Australian television drama series on Fox Showcase. The series is produced by Ian Collie, Rob Gibson and Ally Henville, with executive producers Michael Brooks and Hamish Lewis and Liz Watts. The series was renewed for a second season in June 2023.

Nel Minchin is an Australian documentary film director.

Arka Das is an Australian actor, director and screenwriter. For his performance in Here Out West, he was nominated for the 2023 Logie Award Most Outstanding Supporting Actor. He wrote and starred in the Brotherhood segment of the film and featured in the next chapter, The Eternal Dance. He also received a nomination for the 2021 AWGIE Awards in the Original Feature Film category for the same project.

Significant Others is an Australian drama television miniseries created by Tommy Murphy and directed by Tony Krawitz.

References

  1. ↑ Hayman, Rani (3 November 2021), "New film Here Out West seeks to paint a different picture about living in Western Sydney", ABC News, retrieved 4 August 2023
  2. ↑ Maddox, Garry (29 October 2021), "'Magic happened in the room': Here Out West is a rare contemporary take on western Sydney", Sydney Morning Herald, retrieved 4 August 2023
  3. 1 2 Trigg, Che-Marie (4 August 2022). "Where To Eat Bangladeshi, Chilean, Lebanese and Other Cuisines in Sydney". Broadsheet. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Lambert, Tania (7 February 2022), "Here Out West: a film that centres Western Sydney through tales of marginality", The Conversation, retrieved 4 August 2023
  5. ↑ Luke Buckmaster, Luke Buckmaster (4 November 2021), "Here Out West review – western Sydney anthology is tender, but modest", The Guardian, retrieved 4 August 2023
  6. ↑ Ma, Wenlei (3 February 2022), "Here Out West brings out the humanity in western Sydney's stories", News.com.au, retrieved 4 August 2023
  7. ↑ Byrne, Paul (2 February 2022), "This brilliant comedy-drama breaks the 'skip ceiling' in 10 languages", The Sydney Morning Herald, retrieved 4 August 2023
  8. ↑ Enker, Debi (10 August 2022), "Many standouts in a vibrant portrait of Sydney's inner west", The Sydney Morning Herald, retrieved 4 August 2023
  9. ↑ Knox, David (23 October 2022). "AACTA Awards 2022: nominees". TV Tonight . TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  10. ↑ Knox, David (19 June 2023). "TV Week Logie Awards 2023: nominees". TV Tonight . TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.