Jamie, a 16-year-old boy, plays in the street with his brothers and the neighbours’ kids. His mother, who is ill, struggles to keep the family going. The man next door seems to be abusing his sons. A friend comes round to lend a hand and introduces him to John, a charismatic middle-aged man who immediately hits it off with the boys, especially Jamie. This is where the relationship with Australia’s most infamous serial killer, John Bunting, begins.
What have we got?
- A story based on real events: the Snowtown murders.
- The director’s first feature, Justin Kurzel.
- A magnificent performance by Lucas Pittaway (Jamie) and Daniel Henshall (John Bunting).
- An intimate, realistic portrait of the characters.
- Brilliant cinematography.
- A hard, dark film to watch.
What haven’t we got?
- A conventional film.
- A completely explained story (it takes many facts for granted).
- A cast of experienced actors.
How does it turn out?
A dark film, hard to watch and above all hard to follow if you aren’t familiar with the case. Far from sensationalism, it focuses on Jamie’s perspective and on how he experienced his relationship with the killer. His mother’s illness, his brother’s abuse, his bleak prospects… seem to be suffocating him. John’s arrival seems to bring a little light into his life. A friend of the family, John begins an intimate relationship with Jamie’s mother, and his bond with Jamie becomes more and more fatherly. He’ll be his guide, his mentor. But little by little Jamie is drawn into a murky, dark world where hope is also his fear. Daniel Henshall (John) is brilliant in a role where he superbly balances the duality of his character, charismatic, popular, convincing and at the same time utterly without empathy for life. The dog scene deserves a special mention, the key moment of the film, trying to convey a knowledge impossible for anyone without psychopathy to understand. Lucas Pittaway (who looks like Messi!) gives a masterly performance, drawing the viewer’s empathy. There is some explicit violence against some of the victims. Although fairly repulsive, it doesn’t represent the general tone of the film and is by no means its core. It doesn’t try to give answers or to justify any of the crimes. It’s a background portrait of the events, of the emotions and relationships of the characters, shedding light on the killer’s profile without going into much detail about the murders or their causes. It’s true that more information about the case became public after the film. It’s advisable to get to know the story before watching: there are many assumptions in the script that are hard for non-Australians to know (it was a hugely publicised case) and that can make the film boring and hard to follow.
Watch it if you’re interested in crime, if you know the case or if you’re curious about serial killers. From that perspective it’s phenomenal. If you don’t know the case, it’s strongly recommended to get familiar with the documentary The Bodies in the Barrels, which looks into it. As a film it’s technically brilliant and very interesting, but without prior knowledge of the facts it’s hard going. Difficult to watch, especially if you expect conventional cinema. In the vein of Ed Gein, as dark and raw as the brilliant Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
Highly recommended, hard and dark.