Rachel Ward's Beautiful Kate

Beautiful Kate
Australia, 1hr 41min‎‎‎
Written and directed by Rachel Ward

This has been pretty much universally praised by the critics, while other commentators have characterised it as just another depressing Australian flick about suicide and despair. This latter response may arise from the casting of Ben Mendelsohn (Ned) and Bryan Brown (Bruce, Ned's father), with their strong associations with suburban angst and urban nastiness. Have no fear, despite being very angsty and very nasty, they are both excellent, giving arguably their best performances to date, and ably transcend the 'Oh not them again' factor. All the performances are exceptional, with a special mention for newcomer Sophie Lowe as Ned's twin sister Kate (the beautiful).

It's certainly a bleak and unforgiving movie in parts, but we found it to be quite a redemptive tale - an age-old one really, involving a 'prodigal' son's return, and dark family secrets finally brought into the open.

Director Rachel Ward based it on the by American Newton Thornburg's 1982 novel of the same name, transposing it from 70s Idaho to a remote outback community in South Australia's Flinders Ranges. Its form is a (mostly) well-constructed and dramatically successful dual narrative, with the contemporary-ish story (son returns after 20 years to visit dying and despised father) interwoven with flashbacks to the 1970s and 80s (the childhood and adolescence of the four siblings, two of whom are now dead).

It's the flashbacks (and the poster, UK version shown) that have evoked the Bill Henson comparisons, particularly the 'Dam Scene', and this was calculated. Ward, speaking to Andrew L. Urban (Urban Cinefile) has said "My aesthetic for the flashback narrative is inspired by Bill Henson’s work. Like Beautiful Kate he inhabits a world of teenage alienation and sexuality. A world lit by pole lights, car headlights or torches. I like the way he reveals only small poetic fragments, fragments of alabaster skin, of silhouetted breasts, of bruised lips, the glint of a tear. He too treads that fine line between beauty/romance and desolation/realism. There are a number of fairly explicit sexual scenes throughout. While I do not intend to enter Larry Clarke territory, I hope not be prudish. This film is sexually provocative.”

Like Samson and Delilah, this film deals with things that many families would prefer not to think about, and it will be confronting to many, but Ward and her team have created a fine movie about things that matter. Go see.