Jindabyne (2006)

"Less is More"

A quite superb job from all the actors here. Oh, the subtlety. Byrne and Linney are fantastic. The atmospheric nuances of the cinematography are perfectly synchronized for effect. An ARTIST'S movie. August 1, 2008

an unusually complex and original drama

"Jindabyne" is an elegant, thought-provoking drama that uses mysticism and social commentary to tell the story of a serial killer and his impact on a community. Jindabyne is a small town in New South Wales that had to be relocated in the 1960's due to the damning of a local river. Since that time, a number of legends have sprung up around the old town that currently resides at the bottom of the newly formed lake. It's almost as if the ghosts of the past linger on to haunt those living in the present.

The trouble begins when four buddies, while on a fishing trip in a remote area of the mountains, discover the body of a murdered girl floating in a river. Rather than returning home immediately to inform the authorities of what they`ve uncovered, the men decide to continue fishing for a few more days. This sets off tremendous reverberations among both the townsfolk and their own individual families when the men finally arrive back home with their story.

"Jindabyne" throws so many disparate characters and plotlines into the mix that it could easily have become dissipated and unfocused had it fallen into less capable hands than those of writer Beatrix Christian and director Ray Lawrence. Instead, in adapting Raymond Carver's short story, "So Much Water So Close to Home," to the screen, these filmmakers have created a broad, multi-leveled drama that is not afraid to take its time in gathering the strands of its story, and which is as much a portrait of a complex, troubled marriage and of a community torn asunder by a shocking event as it is a tale of an unsolved murder.

Yet, even though the film is rich in minor characters (all enacted by a first-rate cast), the main focus is on Claire and Stuart Kane, two individuals with deep-seated problems and issues that are sometimes as unclear to us as they are to the characters themselves. In fact, so much is taking place beneath the surface with these characters that the murder mystery itself becomes almost incidental to what the movie is really all about. Indeed, the meaning is often found in those things which are left UNSAID, rather than what is actually stated.

Laura Linney is particularly compelling as a woman battling a depression she can't quite understand, yet trying her best to keep her family from coming apart at the seams. Gabriel Byrne is equally intriguing as her husband, a basically decent guy who makes a crucial wrong choice in not reporting the body immediately, and then must live with the consequences of that action for the rest of his life. The movie also deals with the issues of ethical choices, social ostracism and even racial division (the victim was of aboriginal descent) that arise as a result of the men's actions - or, if you prefer, lack of action - in the course of the story. Finally, the movie broadens out to become a tale of personal redemption and communal healing.

The filmmakers heighten the sense of mystery by never spelling the details out for us in simplistic terms, trusting the audience to grasp the meaning without having to be hit over the head with it. As an indication of the intelligence and depth of the storytelling, the characters in this film are never even remotely pigeonholed as "types," a fact that keeps us unbalanced and off guard for the duration of the movie.

Lawrence's direction is lyrical, unhurried and focused, and the photography by David Williamson perfectly captures the haunting beauty of the Australian countryside.

Those searching for a conventional serial killer thriller are destined, perhaps, to be disappointed by "Jindabyne," but those with a taste for the unconventional and unexpected will surely appreciate the riches offered by this unusually subtle and complex film.
July 30, 2008

Jindabyne

I bought and watched Jindabyne for two reasons. One I love Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney, and two because it was in my recommends. I was very disappointed in the movie. It leaves too many story lines un-told. It's LONG. I kept waiting for it to pick up and get to the point. It gets to MANY points but doesn't finish them. I was bored to tears. While Laura Linney and Gabriel Byrne gave great performances, even they didn't understand what the movie was about, when you listen to the after comments. I loved how the lighting was real...but I just hate hanging in the air. I guess I like more action and for things to tie in. There is post pardem depression, pregnancy, murder, selfishness, a town that is under water, a murderer who I guess gets to go free, racial tension...loads of stuff that COULD have lead to great story lines, they were just sort of stated and left going no where. I don't recommed this movie unless you like to be bored. It's moody and left me feeling yuck. I don't see any awards going to this movie anytime soon. July 28, 2008

RAY LAWRENCE, OPUS 3

***1/2 2006. based on a short story by Raymond Carver and directed by Ray Lawrence. Nine AFI awards nominations. Four friends find the body of a murdered girl in a river while fishing. They alert the police only two days after their discovery and so must face the reproaches of their wives and the local population. Ray Lawrence's precedent film, Lantana was a masterpiece already enameled with symbols. JINDABYNE, the last movie to date of the Australian director, doesn't depart from this stylistic approach peculiar to him. A ghost town swallowed up by a lake, characters entangled in psychological problems, children who seem to repeat René Clément's Forbidden Games - Criterion Collection and the omnipresence of the liquid element are the major themes handled by this very talented director. Recommended. July 11, 2008

Needed To Peak Its Head Above The Murky Waters

Stewart Kane (Gabriel Byrne, Vanity Fair) heads out with his local Jindabyne, Australia fishing buddies for a weekend of rest, recreation, and relaxation. But when Stewart discovers an aboriginal woman's body floating face-down in a river, things appear to have turned out for the worst. The largest casualty of the weekend is the men's commonsense. They don't hike out of the ravine, and instead finish their fishing weekend with some great catches. Then they head out and report the body.

The town and the men's lives quickly turn into a mess. The local media swarms them, and accusations of aboriginal prejudices rear up from the local natives. Stewart's wife Claire (Laura Linney, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) senses the deeper meanings of what her husband and his friends did, but has to battle with it through her own mental illness.

Amidst all this chaos is the life that was this young woman who is now a media spectacle, splayed out on a morgue slab. Her murder and subsequent dumping into the water are symbolic of what lay beneath the town of Jindabyne: a division of men and women, black and white, social and outcast.

The only other people who seem to understand some of what is going on are two young kids: Stewart and Claire's son who is being led around by a half-breed Aussie who's mother was killed also just a few years before. The young girl lives with her grandparents and is trying to let go of her mother the best way she can, and the discovery of a new body seems -- strangely enough -- a method in which to accomplish this (again, the underlying current of Jindabyne is surmised).

Everything and everyone in this Jindabyne township feels what lurks beneath its surface, yet none of them are willing to dive into the murky waters and take a look around (the symbolism here is seen when a nearby lake that is used for recreation and swimming is said to contain the old town of Jindabyne under its surface). None, that is, until Claire forces them to.

The movie is interesting if a bit too convoluted. There are far too many storylines that needed exploring and it just doesn't get done; too many loose threads. The acting was okay, but the filming was terrible. Wobbly cameras, grainy or dark shots, and just a generalized sloppiness hurt the overall production.

I enjoy symbolic films, Northfork being one of my all-time favorites in that vein. But Jindabyne needed to peak its head above the turbid water so that it could see its own problems, which simply didn't happen. April 19, 2008

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