Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

arasheps I look at movies first from the cinematography point of view, And that was what got me in the start, but as the movie went forward, as I saw acting, as I saw story telling I found out that I'm looking at a masterpiece. Somebody recommended Last Ride, I really like Last Ride but this movie is really in a different league. I didn't know who this movie director is(I do this willingly to don't have any predict) and after I finished it I looked at the director's name: Rachel Ward, yeah Rachel Ward's masterpiece. Bryan Brown's acting is the best, i didn't know Sophie Lowe but she is probably an actor(Isn't actress creepy?) to remember her name for the future. Also time dimensions is something touchable in this movie. I highly recommend it if you consider yourself an open mind person, because you should enjoy the kind of passion thats going to get injected to you.

Replicant_76 I found this film started out as an "Australiana-ploitation" however, once through the awkward opening 10 minutes, opened up into a fascinating yet challenging film. The production values are amazing, especially the cinematography, editing and score (Tex Perkins Et el).Ben Mendelson and Brian Brown are excellent as the bitter and twisted Son/Father. The film reveals itself through a series of memory flashbacks juxtaposed against the present day and works really well.The film will challenge you and may repulse viewers to the point of disengaging from the film. Doing this would really be a disservice, as untimely it subtly deals with the secrets and lies around dysfunctional family units with themes of denial, guilt and absolution.Like any great film, you'll be thinking about this one long after the credits role. Recommended, especially for lovers of raw Australian cinema.

Siamois After a long time away, Ned along with his new girlfriend goes to visit his sister and their ailing father. There, we discover all the things that haunt Ned to this day.For her first try as a full feature director, Rachel Ward didn't take the easy road. Beautiful Kate is a drama that tackles sensitive issues. Not only that, it was also Ward's first screenplay and a novel adaptation can be quite a challenge.The film has several elements going for it. The scenery is nice. The acting ranges from good to great. Several scenes are beautifully shot. Ward also doesn't hold anything back when it comes to capturing all this sexuality. You sense the lust that Ned feels but also that things are terribly wrong.Unfortunately, this is a character drama and I didn't feel Ward developed the characters adequately. We spend an awful lot of time at first exploring the relationship between the central character, Ned (Ben Mendelsohn), and his young girlfriend, Toni (Maeve Dermody). Dermody is quite electrifying in this role and her character is probably the most interesting. As they arrive, we quickly sense the relationship between Ned and his father (Bryan Brown) is strained. The family dynamic of father, son and sister (Rachel Griffiths) is explored but once again, it seems it is the peripheral character of Toni who grabs the attention. This may be in part due to Dermody's magnetism or the restraint needed by the other actors (their characters being more quiet) but part of the fault falls on Rachel Ward's direction and screenplay. For instance, a scene between Tori and Ned's father (when he falls from his wheelchair) lasts a full three minutes but brings very little to the actual story. What doesn't help is that after 50 minutes or so, Tori abruptly disappears from the story, leaving us with very little in the way of interesting dynamics. Another important flaw were the flashback scenes. In order to fully understand the issues and demons of our characters (particularly Ned), we are presented with several short flashback scenes from his youth along with his family. Those flashbacks introduce several new characters important to the film (including the title character of Kate) as well as the younger Ned. The only actor appearing in past and present is the father, Bryan Brown playing both versions. Unfortunately, the cast in the flashback scenes is considerably weaker. The scenes are terribly short, lack context and with young, unconvincing actors, they just do not strengthen the film. The flashbacks are supposed to act as revelation devices helping us understand the (well acted) pain, suffering and demons of the present but they fail. Since there's very few interaction between Ned, Sally and the father, we're left with a somewhat poor movie despite the good acting, somewhat interesting cinematography and haunting music score. When the movie ends, your intellect tells you there is a climax there but it is difficult to care when the characters were not given proper care and you're still missing Toni, who left half way during the film. Adapting a book can be quite a challenge. I do believe Rachel Ward shows promise as a director but perhaps she chewed a little too much here. I will gladly watch another movie directed by her and hope she learns from his one. A courageous attempt, but didn't quite work for me.

ennor I saw this film over a week ago, and it still stays with me, almost haunts me. Tex Perkins' soundtrack was perfect, and like the images, will hang around you for days, perhaps weeks.The subject matter is not pretty, and may be confronting to many, but in my experience it is not terribly unusual or unexpected, given the remoteness of the family farm. Accolades must go to the cast - Ben Mendelsohn, Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths (deliberately dowdy in this)and the amazing Sophie Lowe as Kate. The Flinders Ranges in South Australia also has a major role, and performs well - beautiful, remote, dangerous and overwhelming, a bit like the underlying secret which gets addressed during the course of the film.This is the story of a family secret, hidden (but not forgotten) for 20 years, and the final revelations are stark and shocking. The cinematography and editing are truly inspiring, and I was thrilled to see such a fine piece of film-making. Top credit however must go to Rachel Ward - Director, writer (adapted from the novel)- as this is her movie, and she deserves every one of the awards that this movie is sure to receive. As a piece of art - which it is - this film will move you, even if it makes your skin crawl, or you find yourself wriggling in your seat. For the experience alone, this film is worth seeing.