Director: Shawn Seet
Writer: Justin Monjo. (Based on novel by Colin Thiele)
Released: January 2019
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Jai Courtney, Finn Little, Trevor Jamieson, Morgana Davies and Erik Thomson
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Storm Boy is a story about a boy who rescues three pelicans in an isolated coastal area of Southern Australia called 90 Mile Beach.
Once nursed back to health and released into the wild, one pelican stays behind with the boy and never left his side.
Why is it called Storm Boy? Because according to Aboriginal beliefs, pelicans are the reincarnation of men who died at sea so every time a pelican is killed, a storm is bound to follow.
This is a largely unknown and only briefly advertised film, which is a shame. However, I think anybody who has read the novel or seen the 1976 Storm Boy film will adore it.
It’s essentially a slow-paced, emotional drama. Sadly, it lacks the grunt I was expecting of it. As the undercurrent of the story is habitat destruction, I was hoping for an Erin Brockovich sort of film with heated arguments about environmental law and protests in the name of the pelicans!
But none of that really happens, it’s just a quiet film about looking after birds.
My favourite character is the ‘oracle’ character in Storm Boy is an Aboriginal man named Fingerbone Bill (Trevor Jamieson) is a good anchor to the film. He’s the character who keeps the main character grounded and focussed. He also represents indigenous Australia, echoing the friction between Europeans and Aborigines as well as between man and nature.
My favourite actor though, was of course Geoffrey Rush. I became a fan of his after The King’s Speech. I loved the scenes where they showed his character remembering being a child on the beach, and they showed him sat next to his younger self. Such a tear-jerker!
I enjoyed it, but am not inclined to watch it again due to the lack of drama.
Jodie’s rating: 6/10
