Credited cast: | |||
Eric Bana | ... | Aaron Falk | |
Genevieve O'Reilly | ... | Gretchen | |
Keir O'Donnell | ... | Greg Raco | |
Bruce Spence | ... | Gerry Hadler | |
Sam Corlett | ... | Young Luke | |
James Frecheville | ... | Sullivan | |
Matt Nable | ... | Grant Dow | |
John Polson | ... | Scott Whitlam | |
Jeremy Lindsay Taylor | ... | Erik Falk | |
Miranda Tapsell | ... | Rita Raco | |
Eddie Baroo | ... | McMurdo | |
Joe Klocek | ... | Young Aaron Falk | |
BeBe Bettencourt | ... | Ellie Deacon | |
Renee Lim | ... | Sandra Whitlam | |
Martin Dingle Wall | ... | Luke Hadler |
Federal Agent Aaron Falk returns to his home town after an absence of over twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife and child before taking his own life - a victim of the madness that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought. When Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the crime, he opens up an old wound - the death of 17- year-old Ellie Deacon. Falk begins to suspect these two crimes, separated by decades, are connected. As he struggles to prove not only Luke's innocence but also his own, Falk finds himself pitted against the prejudice towards him and and pent-up rage of a terrified community.
This film really captures the atmosphere of a small Australian country town after a long drought. The river has run dry, and fields are parched. Aaron Falk, who grew up in the town but moved to the city when an older teenager, returns for the funeral of his boyhood friend, Luke. Luke's wife and son have been killed and it is assumed that Luke is the culprit, but Luke's parents ask Aaron (who is now a police officer in Melbourne) to do some unofficial investigating. Aaron teams up with the young local policeman to come with some unexpected solutions. The acting of Eric Bana and others make this an intriguing film. My only concern was that some of the flashbacks were a little bit confusing. The film shows the sort of small country town where rumours can be spread and believed for years. Aaron feels compelled to find and reveal the truth.