Dirt Music
Image: Lady Gaga's new album Joanne has divided the critics
The novel written by Tim Winton may have been an enjoyable read, but unfortunately, the screen adaption has failed to impress.
This slow-burning Australian romantic drama was filmed in the beautiful vastness of Western Australia and stars David Welham and Scottish actress Kelly MacDonald (Trainspotting). They play Jim and Georgie, whose already unstable relationship is jeopardised further when Luther (Garrett Hedlund – Unbroken) a handsome musician arrives on the scene, desperately in need of solace for a tragedy he was involved in.
An affair flourishes between Luther and Georgie and he hesitantly warns, “Go home for both our sakes!” Traditionally, as in most romantic dramas, secrets are revealed and when Luther disappears Georgie and her husband (who has a vested reason in locating him) go on a mission to find him.
It’s difficult to connect to any of these characters and the excruciatingly slow pace and endless jumpy flashbacks which at times enhance the ambiguity, compound to make this extremely underwhelming viewing. Hedlund is the standout and he does well with the ineffectual material he has to work with, aptly portraying one of the most depressing characters ever in a motion picture.
The mood of depression inadvertently switches to comedy in the awful, conveniently-packaged, and laughable finale. (MMo)
★★
