Just A Farmer – REVIEW

Finally, a high profile and extremely powerful Aussie movie which spreads awareness of the physical and psychological hardships suffered by Australian farmers.

Allison and Alec are happily married with two beautiful young children. They work on a farm which has been handed down from generation to generation. All seems well but Alec is quietly anguishing with mental health issues owing to huge overdue bills and the $6 million debt which he faces.

The mental trauma accelerates, until he does the inconceivable – he takes his own life.

Can stress and mental health issues make farmers feel like there’s only one way out? What’s the thought process in leaving cherished loved ones behind to escape the pain? Coping with such a tragedy is difficult, but how does the family move on? Significantly, how does mental trauma go unnoticed within the immediate family unit?

Just A Farmer endeavours to answer these brutal questions to very real problems, which are universally relatable not only to Australian farmers, but farmers worldwide.

“Farmers have the most important job in the world” one of the characters states. But their livelihood is susceptible to poor weather conditions and financial burdens which collectively may be a hard journey to navigate through.

This is intense and emotionally draining viewing. The characters feel like real people, not actors in a motion picture, owing to the documentary style of filmmaking which is utilized in the first quarter of the movie.

The enormously talented Leila McDougall portrays the widow who is left to look after her children, her alcoholic father-in-law (Robert Taylor) and the day to day running of the farm. Life goes on but with little time to grieve.

McDougall also wrote the script, her passion evident in each word. Her motive in writing this script is apparent – to spread awareness of the tragedy which can and does occur in farming communities.

Joel Jackson has a short but memorable role as Alec, the beloved husband and father. Audiences will revisit his happier moments through flashbacks that highlight the love and joyous times he spent with his family – and then reverts to the present, with the unbearable prediction of the tragedy that lies ahead.

Poignant and depressing at times, this is one of the most important films in recent times which begs to be seen. Next time you eat a fruit, vegetable or meat give a moment’s thought to our important and vastly underappreciated farmers whose plights mostly go unnoticed…

★★★★

In Cinemas March 21