Romulus, My Father Review..

Well I was feeling bad for the lousy review I gave Eric Bana in " Lucky You," so I thought I would post a review on his latest movie, " Romulus, My Father.." The movie is based on Raimond Gaita's critically acclaimed memoir.. It tells the story of Romulus, his beautiful wife, Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond.. It is the tale of a boy trying to balance a universe described by his deeply moral father, against the experience of heartbreaking absence and neglect from a depressive mother.. It is, ultimately, a story of impossible love that celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son..

Rated: [ M ] Moderate Themes, Moderate Sex Scenes, Moderate Coarse language

Cinema Release: 31st May 2007

Running Time: 104 minutes

Stars: Eric Bana, Franka Potente, Kodi Smit - McPhee

Talent and intelligence can come from unexpected sources and often the most outstanding among us have travelled the furthest to claim their prize..

Raimond Gaita is now one of Australia's finest writers and philosophers but his brilliance was wrought on a lonely chicken farm with a rough childhood spent with a fractured, troubled immigrant family.. He detailed his brutal upbringing in his memoir, " Romulus, My Father," faithfully recreated by leading actor Richard Roxburgh in what his first time as a feature director..

The dream of every actor to direct has brought some dismal results but this is certainly an impressive debut from Roxburgh.. He has the polish and assurance of a filmmaker of far more experience and surrounding himself with more experienced practitioners like cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson has produced superb results.. The acting and cinematography is a credit to cast, crew and our own beautiful out - back landscapes.. The film centers on the old notion of " Tomorrow is another day;" the philosophy of true Aussie battlers that kept this country afloat during the hardest of times.

Roxburgh has the ability to draw meaning from the most ordinary moment and a capacity to create character with just a gesture or glance.. He's assisted by an outstanding cast who each treat their characters as if they are the centre of the story, such is the commitment on show here..

Eric Bana is the most recognisable of the cast of course and his performance is one of quiet power and consummate restraint.. As the world - weary Romulus, we watch a strong man of the earth turned to dust by the tragic turns in his life.. Franka Potente is deeply affecting as his wayward wife Christina, a reed in the wind, who cannot herself understand her own compulsions that lead her from bed to bed.. As brothers, Marton Csokas plays Romulus' loyal friend and Russell Dykstra, Christine's new lover with great sensitivity and understanding..

But it is to Kodi Smit - McPhee that most of the kudos must go.. As young Rai he offers one of the best performances ever by a child actor in an Australian film.. He is an outstanding talent, and he seems utterly connected to the soul of this small boy with a performance of such honesty and heart, such wisdom and judgement, that it is amongst Roxburgh's greatest achievements in this film. He is a discovery on the order of another Haley Joel Osment, or Christian Bale, could even be as great as Dakota Fanning.. The boy is in almost every scene and he carries the production almost entirely on his little shoulders..



The movie is an absolute must see! I don't think I can put it better than Helen Garner when she said " I can't think of a single Australian movie with such a dense and complex emotional texture.. I know I will never forget it.." After the film, I recommend the book - it is beautifully written and easy to read and will explain what happened to all the characters as well as a lot of the subtext ( The film coves a period of about four years in Raimond's life - from age 9 to about 13 ).. The final point is that you have to pay attention to the film carefully - subtlety is the word here and dialogue is spare - you really need to look at the people to understand what is going on..

I give " Romulus, My Father " 4.5 out of 5..