The Rover (2014) - A dreary journey to Michôd's desolate, hopeless Australia

♥♥

 

A poster for David Michôd's The Rover that reflects the film's gritty, often open-air setting

In a post-apocalyptic future in Australia, a hard, merciless man gets his car stolen. He teams up with a brother to one of the robbers on a killing spree to get it back.

Gritty, taciturn, violent and sprinkled with the familiar Australian trademark of hopelessness as its general tone is the universe in which The Rover drags itself through. Watching it, it is hard to accept that the Guy Pearce (Lockout (2012)) here is the same man who 20 years in the past was such a thrilling, enthusiastic presence in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), - a very different, and infinitely more lovable kind of animal.
Robert Pattinson (Little Ashes (2008)) is the strongest card on The Rover's hand: He is impressive and very credible as the somewhat retarded brother of the robber. It is hard to get engaged in The Rover, SPOILER which is essentially about a murdering bastard and his stupid 'partner', who also becomes a (child-)killer.
We are given no information about the causes of the world's decline, and I also find no satisfaction in the reveal of the ending: SPOILER Pearce apparently wanted the car back so badly throughout the film, so that he could bury his dog, which was in its trunk.
The film is written and directed by David Michôd (Animal Kingdom (2010)) with Joel Edgerton (The Gift (2015)) contributing story elements. The Rover is a technically fine but desert-like dry film. For a much better apocalyptic film, watch The Road (2009).

Related posts:

David Michôd: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]

2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV] 

2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Animal Kingdom (2010) - Ruthless Aussies in tight debut
Hesher (2010) - Susser's immature, rebel-centered debut (co-writer)

 

Watch a teaser trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 12 mil. AU$, equal to approximately 8.5 mil. $

Box office: 3.2 mil. $

= Box office disaster

[The Rover premiered May 18 (Cannes) and runs 102 minutes. Filming took 7 weeks in Southern Australia from January - March 2013. The film opened #33 to 69k $ in 5 theaters, widening to 418k $ and #16 in 608 theaters in North America, where it grossed 1.1 mil. $ (34 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 0.4 mil. $ (12.5 %) and the UK with 0.2 mil. $ (6.3 %). Many critics lauded the film, and Quentin Tarantino, also a vocal fan of Animal Kingdom, called The Rover "a mesmerizing, visionary achievement." The film received many nominations in its native Australia, including 7 AACTA nominations (Australia's Oscar), winning two. The Rover is fresh at 66 % with a 6.4 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Rover?

Hesher (2010) - Susser's immature, rebel-centered debut

♥♥

1 Film Excess nomination:

Best Child Actor: Devin Brochu (lost to Kiernan Shipka for Mad Men S4) 

The poster for Spencer Susser's Hesher emulates old heavy rock styles just as the film itself does

The boy TJ gets bullied crudely and is neglected at home by his grief-stricken father, when the crazy, stoned out individualist Hesher moves in with them, unannounced and uninvited.

Hesher is the feature debut for co-writer/director Spencer Susser (Lana Del Rey: Summertime Sadness (2012, music video)), a very strange, downbeat and violence-preoccupied dramedy. Its main quality might be the impressive cast, Susser has managed to gather in it: Piper Laurie (The Crossing Guard (1995)), Natalie Portman (Black Swan (2010)) who also co-produced it, Rainn Wilson (The Stream (2013)) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Premium Rush (2012)) as the dubious title hero. The boy actor Devin Brochu (Rubber (2010)) stands out in the bunch; he is very good and cinematic in Hesher.
Under scrutiny, the film appears incredibly immature and unreal. It is a slight affair that may attract some young audiences. Susser co-wrote it with David Michôd (Animal Kingdom (2010)), based on a story by Brian Charles Frank (Wolfpack of Reseda (2012), TV-series).

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Here's a trailer for the film

Cost: 7 mil. $
Box office: 0.449 mil. $
= Box office disaster
[Hesher premiered January 22 (Sundance) and runs 105 minutes. It was filmed May - June 2009 in California. It opened #36 in 42 theaters to a small 126k $ first weekend, its widest weekend in North America, where it grossed 382k $. It made 66k $ in Italy but other international grosses are not made public. The catastrophic performance of the film probably accounts for Susser's not having made a film to follow it up yet. Hesher is rotten at 54 % with a 5.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hesher?

Animal Kingdom (2010) - Ruthless Aussies in tight debut

♥♥♥♥

+ Best Australian Movie of the Year

Covered in shadows and ominous shades, a family portrait makes up the eye-catching poster for David Michôd's Animal Kingdom

J calls his grandmother, when his mother dies of a heroin overdose. But in his new, villainous family, their laws are the only that count.

 
The suspense builds up slowly in Animal Kingdom, the very impressive debut of Australian writer/director David Michôd (The King (2019)). The film is based on the true story of the Pettingill family of Melbourne, who in 1988 saw its Trevor Pettingill acquitted of a double police murder. 
The visual realism paired with an intense score by Antony Spartos (Upright (2019-20, miniseries)) makes the film a joy to the senses. As the cold-blooded matriarch Jacki Weaver (Reclaim (2014)) shines, and so do others such as Ben Mendelsohn (Darkest Hour (2017)) as a really nasty bugger.
Animal Kingdom is filled with abhorring characters and disillusioned atmosphere. It ends abruptly. It is a crime movie that, in spite of all the praise here, has found many bigger fans than I. Difficult to say why, perhaps it just doesn't fabulate enough for my taste. It's simply a bit too kitchen sink crude for me to get over-ecstatic about it.

Related posts:

David Michôd: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV] 

2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

The Rover (2014) - A dreary journey to Michôd's desolate, hopeless Australia 

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Hesher (2010) - Susser's immature, rebel-centered debut (co-writer) 

 

Check out the film's trailer here

Budget: 5 mil. A$, approximately 3.86 mil. $
Box office: 7.2 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.86 times its cost)

[Animal Kingdom premiered 22 January (Sundance Film Festival) and runs 113 minutes. Shooting took place in and around Melbourne, Australia. The film opened #41 to a 61k $ first weekend in 7 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #38 and in 61 theaters (different weeks), grossing 1 mil. $ (13.9 % of the total gross). The film's biggest market was Australia with 4.3 mil. $ (59.7 %), then 2nd biggest North America and 3rd biggest was the UK with 785k $ (10.9 %). It was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar (Weaver), lost to Melissa Leo in The Fighter. It won 2 National Board of Review awards, a prize at Sundance, and many other honors. The film was remade as a US TV-series with the same title, which started in 2016 and is still running. Michôd returned with Enlightened (2013, TV-series) and theatrically with The Rover (2014). Joel Edgerton (Gringo (2018)) returned with a voice performance in Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010), in The Thief (2011, short) and with a physical theatrical performance in Warrior (2011); Mendelsohn in Needle (2010); and Guy Pearce (Memento (2000)) in The King's Speech (2010). Animal Kingdom is certified fresh at 94 % with an 8.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Animal Kingdom?