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| Value for Money | 7/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 7/10 |
Full review by
Amanda Speedie
on 2nd Jul 2007
User Rating : 7
Respect :
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Set in Australia and based on a short story by Raymond Carver, 'So Much Water So Close To Home' Jindabyne is a slow moving psychological drama. The town of the title is small, enclosed, and stifling. Everyone knows everyone's business yet there is sense of real unease percolating through every piece of dialogue from the beginning. There is no soundtrack; the film is shot in silence and minimal dialogue, but singing overlaid on the landscape shots is very disturbing. Hostility is everywhere.
Stewart and his friends go off on a weekend fishing trip, and, on the Friday, find the dead body of a murdered woman floating in the water. Their decision to leave her there, and not report the crime until they return is a mistake in judgement that has repercussions which reverberate throughout their community on their return.
Misunderstanding, failure to tell the truth, and the apportionment of blame are the themes here. Laura Linney is superb as Clare, Stewart's wife, who has also made a mistake - that of falling victim to post natal depression. She is reminded of her lapse throughout the film; by her husband, mother-in-law, and supposed friends. In a community this parochial, nothing is forgotten or, it seems, forgiven.
There is also stigma to consider, and there are various victims. The murdered girl is Aboriginal, and the partially divided community fractures further. Stewart's apparent callousness in not reporting his find is socially repellent but drives Clare away from him. There is also a stigmatized motherless child whose motives are constantly misread.
Clare needs to understand, to seek reparation but Stewart is a pragmatist who does not feel the need to justify himself. He says, "She was beyond help," but one needs to be seen to be doing the right thing. He loses the respect of the community: Clare never had it. He needs to reclaim it. The murderer remains outside the drama.
Acting is first-class although American accents in an Australian film are a bit confusing. The scenery is as arid and empty as the relationships, and there is a strong sense that there is no social glue. The contrast between the colonial settlers and the native people couldn't be more marked and the tightness of the little Aboriginal community is subtly portrayed. The privacy of the funeral scene sets up the white people as invaders of an ancient culture, intruding upon their dignity and suffering. Fascinating but would have benefited from more pace.
Amanda Speedie's review and ratings | 413 words
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