Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

jadavix It will not come as a surprise to hear that "Drown" is a hard movie to watch at times. What you may not anticipate is that this is not entirely due to its themes of warring homophobia and homoeroticism in the ultra-Australian, ultra-masculine context of surf-lifesaving clubs. It's not even due to the sex or nudity, which, for an R18+ movie, is surprisingly tame. It is in fact due to the movie's distracting editing and over-reliance on slow motion and steady cam. Yes, that includes the obligatory night club scene where the character goes crazy on drugs and we see him dancing in slow motion with different music playing on the soundtrack than what everyone else is dancing to. You know, to show how alienated he is? If we hadn't gotten that already.Some of the other touches work, such as flashbacks to childhood and adolescence, but these are spread on too thin. One gets the impression that "Drown" would have worked better as a short movie. It's the impressionist touches that work, but too much impressionism leaves little room for actual impressions.You can also tell this movie was based on a play, which is confirmed in the end credits, and I'm not sure that's a good thing. When you see a play you have reached a tacit agreement with the theatre directors that, yes, you can suspend disbelief that the people on stage are wherever they're pretending to be. In a film, I'm not sure it works that way. We can see much farther past where the stage would end. In "Drown", we can even see cars and people. When a scene at the beach features multiple instances of assault, sexual degradation, forced nudity and near murder, you find yourself watching the cars in the background roll by, expecting one to stop and see what's going on. Not so in a play.

andfuture knight I really enjoyed this film; If "enjoyed" is the right word.... I think it must have been really hard to play for the actor who played Len, when it all comes down to it, he is a VERY, VERY, SAD man. In the scene when len is sitting on phil's bed and he says "it's like a metaphor" if I was phil I would have continued the convo by saying "you know, I think that's the most intelligent thing you have EVER said......." I also think more could have been made of len's feelings about his dad, it was briefly touched on near the end but not really dealt with, also when len is about to be abandoned by meat, meat doesn't really help him by re-assuring him that it will be OK, he just continues to act really dumb, but I suppose that's in meat's character, he knows how to be a best friend but he can't do anything else! but apart from those things I think it was a cool film and very disturbing.

hddu10 Drown is set in one of the most arguably regressive "Western" societies on the planet, Australia. While it's 'parent", the UK has become the opposite extreme of being ultra-liberal to the point of intolerance for anyone with an opinion contrary to the status quo, Australia continues to lag behind in attitudes and tolerance towards homosexual men. This is evidenced in the dynamics between the two protagonists; one a gay man, Phillip and another what seems to be a type-A closeted gay man, Len. While it appears Len has some repressed sexual attraction to Phillip, the fact that Phillip is younger, better looking and ultimately better athletically causes Len to resent and eventually take out his aggressions on him. The plot eventually devolves into a story-line as old as "Billy Budd", also played out in the French film Beau Travail. Although unlike those examples, there really doesn't seem to be any logical reason for Phillip to continuously tolerate and accept the increasing abuses from Len (i.e. he is not a subordinate), other than for us to surmise Phillip is secretly a hard-core masochist. And the revelation that Len is in fact homosexual is not at all a revelation since it is alluded to throughout the film, which makes it anti-climactic. Mildly entertaining, but certainly anachronistic to any Western standards.

Daneyboy I was fortunate enough to attend an intimate screening of DROWN in Katoomba this weekend, and the experience was intense and thought provoking, offering a different take on the gay culture often portrayed on film. DROWN is an Australian film directed beautifully by Dean Francis and based on the controversial play written by Stephen Davis. The story explores the relationship of three guys, Len, 'Meat' and Phil, all of whom are lifesavers, with Phil being the latest addition to the Lifesaver club. Phil's strength and skill as a lifesaver brings out Len's competitive nature. Similarly, Phil's sexuality is the catalyst that exposes Len's dark side, insecurities and his very obvious struggles preventing him from confronting his own sexual identity. DROWN is unashamedly unafraid to explore the manifestation of homophobia in a world where unflinching mate-ship and machoism come before true acceptance of ones self. The story will make you uncomfortable, and it has some confronting moments; but, that is why it should be watched, and that is why it is relevant in 2015. There are some beautiful scenes of tanned bodies, sun and surf that play to some of Sydney's beauty, but the juxtaposition with some of the flashbacks and unfolding moments in the present remind us of the darkness that lingers. These expertly edited flashbacks, in equal part, build suspense and provide insight into the confusing, terrifying and tragic decisions made by the key protagonist, Len. Without these flashbacks it would be easy to dismiss Len as a manic, crazy c**t, and that's not to say he isn't, however, we have an opportunity to empathise with his struggle and consider the ways in which humans are shaped, molded and influenced. Throughout the film you are fed just enough information to consider, more deeply, why the characters do, or don't do, certain things. This is important because there are some completely frustrating moments where you will question the actions, or inactions, of some characters (you may even want to scream at the screen). The acting in this film is nothing short of inspired. The three lead men should be so proud. Their performances are brutal and feel painfully raw. It most certainly could not have been an easy experience, even for the most gifted of actors. I'm not aware of any other film that so deeply explores homophobia and bullying. It is a story that will make you feel.This film opens up the opportunity to have a conversation about gay culture, bullying, homophobia and the struggles that exist about sexual identity. See this film, and then talk about it.Congratulations to Dean, Stephen and the entire cast and creative team for delivering an Australian film that has been masterfully crafted.