OYSTER FARMER
Director: Anna Reeves
Stars: Alex O'Lachlan, David Field, Kerry Armstrong, Diana Glen, Jim Norton, Jack Thompson
Running time: 89 minutes
Reviewed by GREG KING
Set against the rather unusual background of the isolated community of oyster farmers on the picturesque Hawkesbury River, this British-Australian co-production is a gentle and sometimes amusing tale of love, pain, redemption and second chances. Primarily a fish-out-of-water story, Oyster Farmer rarely follows a predictable path and avoids the usual cliches.
Jack (newcomer Alex O’Lachlan) comes to this remote region to support his sister, who is undergoing rehabilitation in the local hospital following a car accident. Jack is keen to make some money so he and his sister can move on, but his plans go awry. He works for gruff local oyster farmer Brownie (the always excellent David Field), who is estranged from his wife Trish (Kerry Armstrong), and his father Mumbles (Jim Norton). Desperate to make some quick money, rather than wait for the annual oyster harvest, Jack robs an armoured car at the fish market (using a frozen crayfish!), and mails the money home. But something goes wrong, and the parcel goes missing. Jack is forced to wait and work within the close knit community for a longer period than he expected. He slowly becomes seduced by the off beat and idiosyncratic charm of this rugged environment and its eccentric inhabitants. He also finds himself attracted to the enigmatic Pearl (Diana Glen), a local girl with a colourful past, and romance develops.
A modest debut feature from London-based writer/director Anna Reeves, Oyster Farmer is also a stand out local production in what is shaping up to be yet another rather unspectacular year for the Australian film industry. Like last year’s Somersault, Oyster Farmer takes us into unexplored and unfamiliar territory. Beautifully photographed by New Zealand cinematographer Alun Bollinger (The Frighteners, Perfect Strangers, etc) and sensitively directed by Reeves, Oyster Farmer is an assured film. There are no big dramatic moments, but the film gradually exudes its own sense of charm, freshness and vitality that makes it well worth while.
Reeves manages to inject a streak of black humour into proceedings. She also draws superb performances from her leads. O’Lachlan adds some raw sex appeal, while Jack Thompson lends gravitas to his small role as Skippy, a disgruntled Vietnam veteran who offers Jack some sage advice.
***
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
This is a small-budget feature that both surprises and pleases.
North of Sydney, in the Hawkesbury River area, there are communities which depend on the river, some of them oyster farmers. Small dramas take place. The farmers are dependent on their skills as well as their hunches about the weather and the river. The markets process and sell their produce. Marriages break. Outsiders come in for casual work. The locals are sometimes suspicious, sometimes welcoming.
David Field plays an oyster farmer who has fallen out with his wife, Kerry Armstrong. His work is hard slog. She works on intuition. This has damaged their marriage, especially as he is so preoccupied with his work. They have a son. He also has a father who looks on and makes wise comments. Into this world comes a young man from Sydney caring for his sister who is ill after an accident. He needs money for her operation.
Nothing particularly startling. However, the characters are well drawn and well played. The attention to detail, especially for the oyster farming (offering audiences more than they ever need to know), creates an authentic atmosphere. The mundane details of interactions, friendships, flirtations, suspicions, fights, jealousies build up a picture of a community that rings true. There is also a robbery and its aftermath (with ironic poetic justice) that gives some edge to life in the community.
The Hawkesbury looks beautiful, providing a striking setting for these small dramas.