David O'ConnellLast Ride
July 7th 2009 06:03
Carving a dark path across a harsh, remote landscape, Glendyn Ivin’s feature debut, following his Cannes-winning short Cracker Bag in 2003, is a visually-striking dirge to the loss of innocence in one young boy. With an unyielding glare Ivin brings to startling and convincing life the screenplay of Mac Gudgeon, based on a novel by Denise Young.
10 year old Chook (Tom Russell) is being dragged along on a road trip by his restless father Kev (Hugo Weaving), not long out of prison. With limited financial means, the two survive on improvisation - usually the theft of strangers - whilst sleeping rough, with little more than the clothes on their back; Kev even takes unconscionable advantage of his ex-girlfriend Maryanne (Anita Hegh), swiping notes from her purse like a low-rent crim.
Kev has no identifiable destination in mind; he assures Maryanne that he’s simply intent on teaching the boy a few life lessons as they meander along in the direction of Adelaide. Every breather they take puts them in jeopardy of exposure, Kev’s motivations vague and impersonal, threatening to leave destruction and clues in their wake.
There are slowly revealing flashbacks to a recent event which provide context for the pair being set in motion, but one thing is abundantly clear: Kev is as reluctant a father as you could imagine, left holding the can after Chook’s mother ran off for reasons unknown. There are references to his own childhood and the useless weight he was regarded as by his own father, offered as feeble excuses perhaps.
At times Last Ride makes for uncomfortable viewing; there’s a disturbing sense of being granted voyeuristic privileges as Kev allows the anger simmering inside - much of it galvanized by a life of self-protective reaction to prison life – to taint any faint bond that develops between father and son. Chook senses the dangerous potential in his dad but would rather love him than hate him, providing the latitude needed for forgiveness.
What’s perhaps most impressive about Last Ride is the formidable level of craft on display, in what is rapidly becoming a year worthy of heralding a genuine Australian cinematic renaissance; from the exacting, mercurially-judged pace of the film, to the first-rate performances of the leads, to Greig Fraser’s superlative cinematography which accentuates a steady pulse of gritty reality and the wide-open spaces both confronting, and seperating, father and son; Paul Charlier’s guitar-infused score may be limited in scope but it too establishes tone perfectly, creating an uneasy undercurrent to the action, like a window into Kev’s dark subconscious yearnings.
Weaving gives one of his best performances as a man desperate to outrun his past and its regrettable but compulsory deeds. He tries valiantly to turn their journey into some sort of adventure but ultimately he just can't relate to his son in any meaningful way; he utilises small moments to manufacture hesitant steps to forging a bond but every interaction becomes contaminated by his retaliation - the first course of action when things, inevitably, go pear-shaped.
Kev may be a poor father and role model, even if, fundamentally, he functions on an admirably protective level, ensuring his son’s safety from the world; but can he protect Chook from himself?
Russell is brave and thoroughly believable, another extremely talented young performer destined for better things. There’s an unusually tough streak, borne of circumstance, maintaining his equilibrium as he soldiers on by his father’s side, a desperate love preventing disloyalty; he comes close to the edge of betrayal a number of times, however, as Kev’s cruelty manifests itself in flickering, random bursts.
Cementing its young director's promise, Last Ride proves to be a work of resolute darkness, often painful and confronting, but an exceptional film in almost every way. It’s yet another local product to be proud of and the sobering ending epitomizes its unflinching perspective, offering tentative hope from tragedy, a young boy’s tenacious, but haunted spirit, ultimately what is most at stake.
10 year old Chook (Tom Russell) is being dragged along on a road trip by his restless father Kev (Hugo Weaving), not long out of prison. With limited financial means, the two survive on improvisation - usually the theft of strangers - whilst sleeping rough, with little more than the clothes on their back; Kev even takes unconscionable advantage of his ex-girlfriend Maryanne (Anita Hegh), swiping notes from her purse like a low-rent crim.
Kev has no identifiable destination in mind; he assures Maryanne that he’s simply intent on teaching the boy a few life lessons as they meander along in the direction of Adelaide. Every breather they take puts them in jeopardy of exposure, Kev’s motivations vague and impersonal, threatening to leave destruction and clues in their wake.
There are slowly revealing flashbacks to a recent event which provide context for the pair being set in motion, but one thing is abundantly clear: Kev is as reluctant a father as you could imagine, left holding the can after Chook’s mother ran off for reasons unknown. There are references to his own childhood and the useless weight he was regarded as by his own father, offered as feeble excuses perhaps.
At times Last Ride makes for uncomfortable viewing; there’s a disturbing sense of being granted voyeuristic privileges as Kev allows the anger simmering inside - much of it galvanized by a life of self-protective reaction to prison life – to taint any faint bond that develops between father and son. Chook senses the dangerous potential in his dad but would rather love him than hate him, providing the latitude needed for forgiveness.
What’s perhaps most impressive about Last Ride is the formidable level of craft on display, in what is rapidly becoming a year worthy of heralding a genuine Australian cinematic renaissance; from the exacting, mercurially-judged pace of the film, to the first-rate performances of the leads, to Greig Fraser’s superlative cinematography which accentuates a steady pulse of gritty reality and the wide-open spaces both confronting, and seperating, father and son; Paul Charlier’s guitar-infused score may be limited in scope but it too establishes tone perfectly, creating an uneasy undercurrent to the action, like a window into Kev’s dark subconscious yearnings.
Hugo Weaving and Tom Russell as father and son.
Weaving gives one of his best performances as a man desperate to outrun his past and its regrettable but compulsory deeds. He tries valiantly to turn their journey into some sort of adventure but ultimately he just can't relate to his son in any meaningful way; he utilises small moments to manufacture hesitant steps to forging a bond but every interaction becomes contaminated by his retaliation - the first course of action when things, inevitably, go pear-shaped.
Kev may be a poor father and role model, even if, fundamentally, he functions on an admirably protective level, ensuring his son’s safety from the world; but can he protect Chook from himself?
Russell is brave and thoroughly believable, another extremely talented young performer destined for better things. There’s an unusually tough streak, borne of circumstance, maintaining his equilibrium as he soldiers on by his father’s side, a desperate love preventing disloyalty; he comes close to the edge of betrayal a number of times, however, as Kev’s cruelty manifests itself in flickering, random bursts.
Cementing its young director's promise, Last Ride proves to be a work of resolute darkness, often painful and confronting, but an exceptional film in almost every way. It’s yet another local product to be proud of and the sobering ending epitomizes its unflinching perspective, offering tentative hope from tragedy, a young boy’s tenacious, but haunted spirit, ultimately what is most at stake.
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