West of Sunshine

Last updated

West of Sunshine
West of Sunshine film poster.jpg
Directed by Jason Raftopoulos
Written byJason Raftopoulos
Produced byJason Raftopoulos
Alexandros Ouzas
Exile Productions
Starring Damian Hill
CinematographyThom Neal
Edited byPaul Rowe
Music by Lisa Gerrard
James Orr
Distributed byExile Entertainment Pty Ltd
Release dates
  • 1 September 2017 (2017-09-01)(Venice Film Festival)
  • 23 August 2018 (2018-08-23)(Theatrical release)
Running time
78 mins
CountryAustralia

West of Sunshine is 2017 Australian drama film directed by Jason Raftopoulos and starring Damian Hill. Set in Melbourne, it depicts an eventful day in the life of Jimmy, an inveterate gambler, and his estranged son Alex.

Contents

Plot

Scruffy-haired, heavily tattooed Jimmy is a courier for a small company, and has a A$15,000 debt to Banos, the tough owner of a car repair shop where Jimmy once worked, and who has given him a deadline of 5 o'clock that day to repay him, or suffer dire consequences. Jimmy's mind is preoccupied with the prospects of a horse that's running (race two at Ballarat) that day. He picks up his mate Steve, a fellow courier. He is late to pick up his pre-pubescent son Alex, who he's promised to babysit that day, and is harassed by his ex-wife Karen.

He arrives at her house in his car, an immaculate 1968 Ford Fairlane, previously owned from new by his own father, who deserted his family when Jimmy was young. Alex reluctantly joins his father, for whom he has no respect, and flagrantly defies his every instruction. His father's chief leverage over him (and subject of much of the bickering) is use of his smartphone and promise of a new football.

Jimmy reports late for work at the depot, and because of the presence of Alex is obliged to use the Fairlane for deliveries rather than a company vehicle. Alex gets to experience the inside of a variety of Melbourne businesses. His deliveries completed, they stop for lunch at a suburban hotel with TAB betting facilities, and are joined by Steve. Jimmy is anxious to put some money on his tip, and borrows a substantial sum from Steve, who puts somewhat less on the same horse, which wins, and Jimmy has more than enough to pay off his debts.

He rings Banos with the good news, but then cannot refrain from trying to build on his good fortune and loses the lot. Fearing Banos, he pleads with Steve to lend him the money, alienating his mate, who refuses point blank; he has debts too. Getting desperate, Jimmy offers the Fairlane to a used-car dealer; it's valued at $35,000, but they settle on $25,000 cash. But while the would-be purchaser is at the bank, Jimmy has a change of heart and he and Alex drive off.

Steve approaches Mel, a friend from his younger days, who has prospered and now has a small bakery. She offers to lend him the sum if he will deliver some small Ziploc packages of white powder to various addresses. He tells Alex they contain vitamin C. While Jimmy is purchasing icecreams at a roadside van, Alex opens one of the bags and just as he is putting some in his mouth, Jimmy becomes aware of the situation, rushes back to the car and forces Alex to cough it up. He confesses the truth to Alex, they exchange confidences, resulting in a reconciliation.

Jimmy confronts Banos with the few hundreds of dollars he has left, and Banos signals to his men, then as they have beaten him to the ground and are kicking him, Banos calls them off in an apparent change of heart.

Jimmy signs the car over to Banos and pedals a pushbike back to his ex-wife's residence, Alex on the handle-bars. Night is falling, and when asked by his mother how the day went, he replies "It was the best day ever".

Cast

Production

West of Sunshine was directed by Jason Raftopoulos. It is based on his 2011 award-winning short film, Father's Day. [2]

It is set and shot in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria over 18 days; [2] many scenes were shot in real business premises, with the workers going about their usual business. [3] It was shot in widescreen format,[ citation needed ] and runs for 78 minutes. [2]

Release

West of Sunshine had its world premiere [2] on 1 September 2017 [4] at the 74th edition of the Venice International Film Festival, in the Orrizonti (Horizons) section, [5] which is dedicated to new trends in world cinema. [2]

It was released in cinemas on 23 August 2018. [3]

Reception

The audience at the Venice Film Festival responded to West of Sunshine with a five-minute standing ovation. [2]

It received generally favourable reviews, some tracing its inspiration to Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves , [6] with most commenting that it sprang no surprises. Several noted that it was the offshoot of Raftopolous' 2011 short Father's Day [3] and Paul Ireland's Pawno (also starring Hill). [7] Thom Neal's cinematography was praised, as was the soundtrack by Lisa Gerrard and James Orr. [8]

Variety called it an "impressive feature debut", while The Guardian critic wrote that its "down-at-heel Aussie vibe" invited comparison with other "bawlers and brawlers", such as Kriv Stenders' 2007 film Boxing Day or David Michod's 2010 crime drama Animal Kingdom . [2]

As of February 2024, West of Sunshine has a critics' score of 81% based on 21 reviews. [9]

Awards and nominations

West of Sunshine won the 2018 Jury Grand Prix, Best feature film, at the Rencontres internationales du cinéma des Antipodes (Antipodean Film Festival) in Saint-Tropez, France. [10] and El Rey Award at the 2018 Barcelona International Film Festival. [11] [12]

At home in Australia, it was nominated in the inaugural Best Indie Film category in the 2018 edition of the AACTA Awards, awarded by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Hill was nominated for Best Lead Actor, and Thom Neal for Best Cinematography. [13]

It was also nominated for several other awards, including Best Direction of a Feature Film at the 2018 Australian Directors' Guild Awards; [14] the Venice Horizons Award; [2] Best Actor for Hill and Best Screenplay at the Australian Film Critics Association Awards; [15]

Footnotes

  1. Hill's real-life stepson [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wim Wenders</span> German filmmaker

Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German filmmaker and playwright, who is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among the honors he has received are prizes from the Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals. He has also received a BAFTA Award and been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Grammy Award.

<i>Goodfellas</i> 1990 American film by Martin Scorsese

Goodfellas is a 1990 American biographical crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy by Pileggi. Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino, the film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Boyle</span> English director and producer (born 1956)

Daniel Francis Boyle is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and its sequel T2 Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Steve Jobs, and Yesterday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve McQueen (director)</span> British film director and video artist (born 1969)

Sir Steve Rodney McQueen is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter, and video artist. For services to the visual arts, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2011. In 2014, he was included in Time magazine's annual Time 100 list of the "most influential people in the world". He has received an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and in 2016 the BFI Fellowship.

<i>Irréversible</i> 2002 French film

Irréversible is a 2002 French art thriller film written and directed by Gaspar Noé. Starring Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, the plot depicts the events of a tragic night in Paris as two men attempt to avenge the brutal rape and beating of the woman they love. The film is made up of a title sequence followed by 13 segments made to look like long takes. Each of these segments is either a continuous shot or a series of shots digitally composited to resemble a continuous shot. The story is told in reverse order, with each scene taking place chronologically before the one that precedes it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirokazu Kore-eda</span> Japanese filmmaker

Hirokazu Kore-eda is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He began his career in television and has since directed more than a dozen feature films, including Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008), and After the Storm (2016). He won the Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Like Father, Like Son and won the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for Shoplifters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carr</span> British-Irish comedian and television presenter

James Anthony Patrick Carr is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of one-liners which have been known to offend some people. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regularly appeared on television as the host of Channel 4 panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

Esther “Essie” Davis is an Australian actress and singer, best known for her roles as Phryne Fisher in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and its film adaptation, Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears, and as Amelia Vanek in The Babadook. Other major works include a recurring role as Lady Crane in season six of the television series Game of Thrones, Sister Iphigenia in Lambs of God, and the role of Ellen Kelly in Justin Kurzel's True History of the Kelly Gang.

<i>Two Hands</i> (1999 film) 1999 Australian film

Two Hands is a 1999 Australian crime comedy film written and directed by Gregor Jordan. The film stars Heath Ledger as Jimmy, a young man in debt to Pando, a local gangster played by Bryan Brown, and also stars Rose Byrne, David Field, and Susie Porter. It won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film in 1999. It was screened at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, but did not receive a theatrical release in the United States, releasing straight to DVD in December 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lav Diaz</span> Filipino film director (born 1958)

Lavrente Indico Diaz is a Filipino independent filmmaker and former film critic. He is frequently known as one of the key members of the slow cinema movement, and has made several of the longest narrative films on record. Diaz is one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary Filipino filmmakers.

<i>Samson and Delilah</i> (2009 film) 2009 Australian film

Samson and Delilah is a 2009 Australian drama film directed by Warwick Thornton and starring Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, both young first-time actors. The film depicts two Indigenous Australian 14-year-olds living in a remote Aboriginal community who steal a car and escape their difficult lives by going to Alice Springs. It won many awards, including the Caméra d'Or at Cannes for best first feature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">67th Venice International Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 67th annual Venice International Film Festival held in Venice, Italy, took place from 1 to 11 September 2010. American film director and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino was the head of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, and the closing film was Julie Taymor's The Tempest. John Woo was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement prior to the start of the Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luca Guadagnino</span> Italian filmmaker (born 1971)

Luca Guadagnino is an Italian film director and producer. His films are characterized by their emotional complexity, eroticism, and sumptuous visuals. He is known for his frequent collaborations with actors Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Timothée Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg, editor Walter Fasano and screenwriter David Kajganich.

Lily Sullivan is an Australian actress. She played Coral in the 2012 film Mental, and Miranda in the 2018 television series Picnic at Hanging Rock. She plays leading roles in two 2023 feature films, Australian sci-fi thriller Monolith, and American horror film Evil Dead Rise.

Tilda Cobham-Hervey is an Australian actress. She made her film debut in 52 Tuesdays, a critically-acclaimed independent film directed by Sophie Hyde, and has also appeared on stage. She appeared in the 2018 film Hotel Mumbai, and starred as feminist icon Helen Reddy in the 2019 biopic I Am Woman. In 2023 she starred in the Amazon Prime TV series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Hill</span> Australian politician (born 1973)

Julian Christopher Hill is an Australian politician who is as of February 2024 serving as the Member of Parliament for Bruce in the House of Representatives. Hill was previously the fourth Mayor of Port Phillip and a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), where he succeeded Alan Griffin at the 2016 federal election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">75th Venice International Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018.

Damian Hill was an Australian film and television actor and screenwriter, best known for the 2015 film Pawno.

The Antipodean Film Festival, variously referred to as Festival des Antipodes, Antipodes International Film Festival, Antipodes Film Festival Saint Tropez, Saint Tropez Film Festival and other variations, is a film festival showcasing New Zealand and Australian films, held annually in St Tropez in France since 1999.

The AACTA Award for Best Indie Film is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) since 2018.

References

  1. Quinn, Karl (24 September 2018). "Australian actor Damian Hill, star of Pawno, dead at 42". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Aftab, Kaleem (6 September 2017). "West of Sunshine, set in Melbourne's west, makes its mark at Venice". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Johnson, Travis (2018). "West of Sunshine". FilmInk . Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  4. "Jason Raftopoulos". La Biennale di Venezia. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  5. Sarah Ward (1 September 2017). "'West Of Sunshine': Venice Review". ScreenDaily . Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  6. Sandra Hall (13 August 2018). "West of Sunshine review: More than naturalism needed". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  7. Rachel Morley (13 August 2018). "West of Sunshine: Review". Farrago Magazine. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  8. Richard Kuipers (31 August 2017). "Venice Film Review: 'West of Sunshine'". Variety Magazine. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  9. "West of Sunshine". Rotten Tomatoes. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  10. "All the Awards from Festival des Antipodes". Rencontres Internationales du Cinéma des Antipodes. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  11. "ANNOUNCEMENT: Director Jason Raftopoulos has received the El Rey Award for Excellence in Direction Award at the Barcelona International Film Festival!". Facebook. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  12. "West of Sunshine (2017): Awards". IMDb. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  13. "Winners & Nominees, 2018". AACTA . Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  14. Kornits, Dov (10 April 2018). "The 2018 Australian Directors Guild Awards Nominations Are In". FilmInk. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  15. "Australian Film Critics Association 2019 Award Nominations". The Curb. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2024.