Beautiful Kate is another local film to delve into a bleak and dysfunctional world, but at least this one has some impressive credentials on both sides of the camera that will potentially help it pull in a larger audience. Beautiful Kate has been adapted by Rachel Ward from Newton (Cutter's Way) Thornburg's novel, which was in the tradition of the sort of Gothic southern fiction that gave us tales like Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, etc. Ward has successfully transplanted Thornburg's essentially American novel to the isolated Australian bush, while retaining its powerful themes. Beautiful Kate is also like transplanting a Tennessee Williams to rural Australia. It has all the usual ingredients – the dying patriarch, the dysfunctional family, the prodigal son returning home, incest, rancid secrets revealed, ancient wounds picked over until they are raw and bleeding. And then there is a final catharsis that allows for closure and the family to move on. At the request of his sister Sally (Rachel Griffiths), author Ned Kendall (Ben Mendelsohn) returns to his drought-ravaged family farm after a twenty year absence to visit his dying father. He hasn't seen his estranged father since he left home following the tragic death of his twin sister in a car crash and the subsequent suicide of his brother. He brings with him his latest girlfriend Toni (Maeve Dermody), a city bred girl who quickly tires of the boring routine of life on the farm. And when she learns of some of the Kendall family's dark secrets she flees in disgust. Ned's return brings a lot of simmering resentments, guilt and unresolved issues to the surface. Ward honed her skills on a number of short films, including the powerful AFI award winning The Big House, and she handles her debut feature superbly. The film is nicely layered and textured, and Ward reveals the tawdry secrets and painful back story in a series of extended flashbacks. She draws excellent performances from her small but solid cast. Mendelsohn finds his meatiest role for quite sometime and he rises to the occasion with a rich, complex and quite raw performance as the son consumed by guilt. Bryan Brown is good as belligerent patriarch, a once proud man struck down and left embittered and crippled by tragedy and debilitating congenital heart disease. The scenes these two share are quite powerful and provide plenty of fire works. Dermody makes the most of her role, while Griffiths is effective in her few scenes as the long-suffering and stoic Sally. Newcomer Sophie Lowe (also in Anna Kokkinos' upcoming family drama Blessed) is very good as the sexy and beguiling adolescent Kate. Cinematographer Andrew Commis has shot the film in widescreen, and he captures some quite evocative images of the beautiful Flinders Ranges locations. The run down farm, a far cry from the bustling place of their childhood, is hauntingly symbolic of the father's failings and of the slow destruction of the family.
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Replicant_7625 January 2010I found this film started out as an "Australiana-ploitation" however, once through the awkward opening 10 minutes, opened up into a fascinating yet challenging film. The production values are amazing, especially the cinematography, editing and score (Tex Perkins Et el).
Ben Mendelson and Brian Brown are excellent as the bitter and twisted Son/Father. The film reveals itself through a series of memory flashbacks juxtaposed against the present day and works really well.
The film will challenge you and may repulse viewers to the point of disengaging from the film. Doing this would really be a disservice, as untimely it subtly deals with the secrets and lies around dysfunctional family units with themes of denial, guilt and absolution.
Like any great film, you'll be thinking about this one long after the credits role. Recommended, especially for lovers of raw Australian cinema. -
DownundaDVD24 October 2009It's easy to pick on a movie that's based on a very good book because expectations are very high, and you have an idea in your head before you even see the movie. So I'm not going to make comparisons for the sake of it. Just one criticism that I cant see anyone who read the book will argue with, and that's the change of setting from Idaho to South Australia. The big problem here is that the American wilderness is never as "dead" as the Australian wilderness. In fact just look at the title of 'Deadheart' (another Bryan Brown film by coincidence).
The impact of the change of setting is that the characters are so marooned and cut off. You never get that sense in the book, where the wilderness is their natural haven. That doesn't mean the actors aren't believable. They are and first time director Rachel Ward has done something special in relating the female experience. I felt every scene that worked, and the pacing is just right. I've read some ridiculous reviews that this is a film for women. Well it's not, it's about how women relate with their world in a universal way. That makes this a universal story and a movie worth seeing. -
SnoopyStyle9 February 2014Ned Kendall (Ben Mendelsohn) has come back to the family home with young wannabe actress Toni (Maeve Dermody) after 20 years of absence. He must come to terms with his dying father Bruce (Bryan Brown), and resolve the death of his twin sister Kate (Sophie Lowe). There he finds his sister Sally (Rachel Griffiths) dutifully taking care of their mean spirited father in their old crumbling farm that is soon to be lost to the bank. Much of this movie goes into flashback mode. It's a much more compelling story in the past due mostly to Sophie Lowe's enigmatic performance. The present story is much more depressed, and it struggles under the weight of buried anger. There is a mystery of the family's past. There are deaths not talked about. The present day needs some more energy.
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lrishJoe789 December 2012I have mixed feelings about this one. It gives a real taste of the harshness of outback farm life in Australia, and it is certainly well directed and produced. The acting performances are convincing, though the character of Toni seems a little over the top, or even unnecessary to the story. Speaking of which; the story is the weakness here. What could have been a psychological drama tracing taboo desires and their roots is instead allowed to develop into a father vs son struggle that we've seen too many times before.
Overall: dark, fascinating, challenging, but let down in the end by a plot without the depth to really carry it over the line. Worth watching though. -
Ned (Ben Mendelsohn) is a middle aged writer, driving with his much younger girlfriend Toni (Maeve Dermody), to his father's outback ranch. His father (Bryan Brown) is dying. Ned has not seen his father for twenty years, the last time was the summer when his sister Kate (Sophie Lowe) and also his brother Cliff both died. Ned is haunted by the memories of his sister and it is gradually revealed that they shared an incestuous relationship. Also staying on the ranch is Ned's other sister (Rachel Griffiths) who is at odds with the immaturity and rudeness of Toni.
Based on the novel by Newton Thornburg, Beautiful Kate is another competently made Australian film, written and directed by Rachel Ward. Shot on location in South Australia, the film is beautifully photographed and takes its time to reveal its secrets. This is quite a nostalgic film but ultimately a passive experience. The film uses many integrated flashbacks to show how Ned and his sister came together. Unfortunately, despite being the most poignant and interesting aspect of the film, much of this is relationship remains highly fragmented and never fully explored. Had the film been shown from the perspective of the children, rather than from adulthood, it may have been a more fascinated film. The isolation in such an area, along with little intimacy from their parents – their mother died and their father was tough – suggests their affection for each other but it deserved to be explored in more depth. Given that are our view of Ned and Kate as a brother and sister is highly fragmented and scarce their incestuous behaviour is perhaps never as shocking as it should be. It would be interesting to see if it was more thoroughly described in the novel. As it stands not a lot happens in the present stages of the film. A stationary area like the ranch in the film does not offer a lot of opportunities for action.
The films performances are collectively excellent. Bryan Brown captures the vulnerability of the old man strongly. His character is an extremely rough and hardened man, often crudely spoken. When Toni asks him what Ned's weakness is he replies with the word 'cunt'. Yet despite his coarseness there is little doubt over the grief for both of his children. Mendelsohn is fine as well, but we have to question why his character Ned chose such an immature partner in Toni. Perhaps this is an echo of his youth with Kate, but with such guilt about his behaviour with her, it is difficult to understand this complexion between his sexual longing and his remorse. The weakest character is easily Dermody's Toni. Toni has been characterised intentionally as an extremely rude, immature, brat. Her comments throughout the film are regularly irritable. When she is told that Kate is no longer with the family, she asks "she's dead?" It is little loss to the film when she eventually leaves. Alone her character offers little, by in relation to Ned it allows him to develop by the end of the film from a man who yearns for his sister, in memory and sexually through Toni, to someone who we assume will understand his limits. Ned ominously places Toni's name tag next to the speed limit of his car as he drives away at the end of the film.
Beautiful Kate is a mature Australian film, but one that could have been more insightful and sophisticated in its handling of its youngest relationship. The performances are terrific but like many adaptations one must question how much of the novel was omitted for the screen. Had more time been dedicated to the childhood of the characters, the emotion of the film could have been further elevated, and a more thoroughly powerful story could have been delivered. -
Proving once again that when it comes to intense family drama's and quietly powerful studies of grief and secrets, Australia does it just as good if not better than anyone else, little known but well regarded local film Beautiful Kate is a fine example of the above average productions that often manifest themselves in our home grown industry.
Directed by actress turned director Rachel Ward, starring a then just about to hit the big time Ben Mendelsohn and Australian stalwarts Bryan Brown and Rachel Griffiths alongside the at the time newcomer Sophie Lowe, Beautiful Kate isn't an easy or even what you'd call enjoyable watch but this impressively filmed and acted slice of outback family melodrama is a worthy film to be sort out by connoisseurs of Australian cinema.
The most pressing reason to source Ward's film is of course the man of the moment Ben Mendelsohn. Playing internally repressed writer Ned Kendall who grew up with his unloving farmer father Bruce played by Brown, Mendelsohn once more displays his finely tuned performance skills to play troubled characters and it offers us cinema lovers one of the rare chances to see Mendelsohn take lead in a film even if both Brown and Lowe deserve kudos for their respective turns. Lowe in particular makes a rather confronting and stripped back mark as the layered Kate, Ned's sister who is the central cause behind much of his seething struggles.
The film also looks fantastic with impressive camera-work by DOP Andrew Commis and Ward's direction in certain areas really captures particular moments and feelings, no better exemplified by the way in which the younger version of Ned is often displayed in a first person point of view, throwing the viewer head first into the time and place that shaped Ned's life before it ever really had a chance to truly begin. It's a smart directional choice and a brave one as is Ward's determination to not shy away from the difficult and often disturbing subject matters that lay ever present within her story.
Final Say –
Far from perfect and sometimes not as emotionally resonate as you would've liked, Beautiful Kate is a worthwhile tough watch thanks to its fine production values and noteworthy performances that includes a pre-Animal Kingdom Ben Mendelsohn in what's another fine example as to why he should be regarded as one of Australia's best ever acting imports.
Not a film for everybody, Beautiful Kate is however a film any fan of Australian cinema should check out if they missed its original critically backed run from 2009.
3 ½ campaign posters out of 5 -
ennor20 August 2009I saw this film over a week ago, and it still stays with me, almost haunts me. Tex Perkins' soundtrack was perfect, and like the images, will hang around you for days, perhaps weeks.
The subject matter is not pretty, and may be confronting to many, but in my experience it is not terribly unusual or unexpected, given the remoteness of the family farm. Accolades must go to the cast - Ben Mendelsohn, Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths (deliberately dowdy in this)and the amazing Sophie Lowe as Kate. The Flinders Ranges in South Australia also has a major role, and performs well - beautiful, remote, dangerous and overwhelming, a bit like the underlying secret which gets addressed during the course of the film.
This is the story of a family secret, hidden (but not forgotten) for 20 years, and the final revelations are stark and shocking. The cinematography and editing are truly inspiring, and I was thrilled to see such a fine piece of film-making. Top credit however must go to Rachel Ward - Director, writer (adapted from the novel)- as this is her movie, and she deserves every one of the awards that this movie is sure to receive. As a piece of art - which it is - this film will move you, even if it makes your skin crawl, or you find yourself wriggling in your seat. For the experience alone, this film is worth seeing. -
deloudelouvain25 February 2020Beautiful Kate is a slow paced drama, with not much action but an overwhelming and disturbing story that will keep you interested for the entire movie. It's the acting that makes it all worth the detour. Ben Mendelsohn, Sophie Lowe, Bryan Brown and Scott O'Donnell made this unusual story watchable even though the plot will disgust more than one. Good job from Rachel Ward portraying this most dysfunctional family.
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Siamois7 January 2010After a long time away, Ned along with his new girlfriend goes to visit his sister and their ailing father. There, we discover all the things that haunt Ned to this day.
For her first try as a full feature director, Rachel Ward didn't take the easy road. Beautiful Kate is a drama that tackles sensitive issues. Not only that, it was also Ward's first screenplay and a novel adaptation can be quite a challenge.
The film has several elements going for it. The scenery is nice. The acting ranges from good to great. Several scenes are beautifully shot. Ward also doesn't hold anything back when it comes to capturing all this sexuality. You sense the lust that Ned feels but also that things are terribly wrong.
Unfortunately, this is a character drama and I didn't feel Ward developed the characters adequately. We spend an awful lot of time at first exploring the relationship between the central character, Ned (Ben Mendelsohn), and his young girlfriend, Toni (Maeve Dermody). Dermody is quite electrifying in this role and her character is probably the most interesting.
As they arrive, we quickly sense the relationship between Ned and his father (Bryan Brown) is strained. The family dynamic of father, son and sister (Rachel Griffiths) is explored but once again, it seems it is the peripheral character of Toni who grabs the attention. This may be in part due to Dermody's magnetism or the restraint needed by the other actors (their characters being more quiet) but part of the fault falls on Rachel Ward's direction and screenplay.
For instance, a scene between Tori and Ned's father (when he falls from his wheelchair) lasts a full three minutes but brings very little to the actual story. What doesn't help is that after 50 minutes or so, Tori abruptly disappears from the story, leaving us with very little in the way of interesting dynamics.
Another important flaw were the flashback scenes. In order to fully understand the issues and demons of our characters (particularly Ned), we are presented with several short flashback scenes from his youth along with his family. Those flashbacks introduce several new characters important to the film (including the title character of Kate) as well as the younger Ned. The only actor appearing in past and present is the father, Bryan Brown playing both versions. Unfortunately, the cast in the flashback scenes is considerably weaker. The scenes are terribly short, lack context and with young, unconvincing actors, they just do not strengthen the film.
The flashbacks are supposed to act as revelation devices helping us understand the (well acted) pain, suffering and demons of the present but they fail.
Since there's very few interaction between Ned, Sally and the father, we're left with a somewhat poor movie despite the good acting, somewhat interesting cinematography and haunting music score.
When the movie ends, your intellect tells you there is a climax there but it is difficult to care when the characters were not given proper care and you're still missing Toni, who left half way during the film.
Adapting a book can be quite a challenge. I do believe Rachel Ward shows promise as a director but perhaps she chewed a little too much here. I will gladly watch another movie directed by her and hope she learns from his one.
A courageous attempt, but didn't quite work for me. -
diane-3412 August 2009Beautiful Kate is a beautiful movie albeit a difficult, challenging movie but one that will remain with you long after leaving the theatre. Diane and I saw this film yesterday at SX Luna and as we waited to enter a lady exited and said she did not like anything in the film and we thought she had seen another film. Now I realise what she meant although I would vehemently disagree with her. Beautiful Kate takes place in a 30s house on a small farm with South Australia's Flinders Ranges as a backdrop: it is kind of dilapidated, very dry and probably hugely depressing to people coming from more salubrious surrounds. Bryan Brown who plays a pivotal role has been made-up perfectly to fit his part as the father of his family that must live out the mental re-enactment of long past deeds. I mention Brown because his appearance (a wonderful tribute to the makeup artist's skill) is, to me at least a metaphor for the lives of the children gathered at their families' farm. This film is raw; the title may have given the woman who so disliked it the wrong idea of its substance because the movie is exactly opposite of beautiful. Personally I thought Rachel Ward, director and writer, examined the emotions of the players brilliantly. I cannot speak highly enough about this film. We have developed a movie genre that is unique to Australia and conveys ranges of nuanced emotion that can only be dreamed about in other countries. Hollywood came close with The Last Picture Show but that was almost 50 years ago and they seem not to want to return to the genre. Make every attempt to see this movie but be aware when you walk in that the vehicle is not fancy.
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unreadpages23 August 2009There are many good things about this film. It unsentimentally depicts the harshness and bareness of outback farm life in Australia. It has some highly creditable performances from some top Aussie actors. The cinematography does justice to the setting.
The problem is the story. Instead of following through on a psychological exploration of some forbidden desires and their roots in this remote community, which is invited so longingly by the scenario, it contents itself with yet another portrayal of the struggle between a tyrannical old bastard of a father and his surviving son, whom he devalues. Both father and son conspire to turn their backs in denial of what could have been a revolutionary turn of events to match, gee, I don't know, Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf or The Homecoming.
A missed opportunity. -
billcr127 June 2012Rachel Ward directs her husband, Bryan Brown, as a cantankerous man who is dying without any regrets. Bruce's(Brown) son, Ned and his finance, Toni, visit to say goodbye to him. His sister Sally also lives there.
He keeps a journal detailing an incestuous relationship with a twin sister, Kate, who has died mysteriously. A flashback shows his sister seducing him when they were both drunk and the sexual encounter filling him with guilt. Kate has no regrets and demands a repeat performance which Ned turns down. She turns their other brother, Cliff against him by lying, and saying that Ned attacked her. Bruce forces Ned to take Kate to a Christmas dance. He leaves her, and later finds her dead as the result of a car accident. That same night, he finds his brother Cliff hanging in a barn; this is not the Waltons; goodnight John Boy. More family secrets are revealed and even with some fine acting from everyone involved, Beautiful Kate is a depressing downer. -
jafar-iqbal28 August 2013A writer returns to his family home at the behest of his sister, to bid farewell to his dying father. Coming back to this remote and isolated place, he starts getting flashbacks of his childhood; and more specifically, memories of his beautiful twin sister. Soon, the memories awaken long-buried secrets from the family's past.
Australian cinema isn't something I've explored very much, but the country has produced a lot of great actors, some of which are on show in this very emotional, intensely-charged drama. Just by reading the synopsis above, you can see that this isn't a light, fluffy movie; it's far from it. We're talking about repressed emotions, shouting matches, slow-burning tension, the works. All that could be done to heighten the drama, director Rachel Ward did it.
Ward is an actor herself, which probably goes some way to explaining why she gets such good performances out of her cast. In particular, Mendelsohn (as Ned) is brilliant – there are many shades of grey to the character, and he expresses it all very well. You've also got Rachel Griffiths in there (of Six Feet Under fame) and she's predictably awesome.
The big problem with this film, though, is that it just drags too much sometimes. Yes, it's all being done to highlight the monotony and isolation of the place (and their emotions), but it gets a bit much sometimes. The central story is very intense, and I wanted them to get through it. Suddenly, everything slows down and I'm left wanting.
However, there's enough here to satisfy an audience member and, if you're able to put up with the slow pace, you'll appreciate the payoff. It's a well-acted, solidly-directed movie. Worth a look, I think. -
Philby-310 September 2009Yet another small budget "arty" downbeat Australian film which would not have been made without government money, though the story is an adaptation of a novel by a American author, Newton Thornbury, relocated from suburban Chicago to the Flinders Ranges. Directed by Rachel Ward, it stars the Flinders Ranges, her husband Bryan Brown as the dying father and Ben Mendlesohn as Ned, the estranged son who, at the urging of his younger sister Sally who is looking after the old boy (Rachel Griffiths in good form), has come back to the family's drought-stricken farm to say goodbye. Ned has in tow Toni, a sexy but trashy girlfriend half his age, but she does not stick around for long. The atmosphere is pretty tense, as the reunion brings back memories of other family members long dead, including the eponymous sister beautiful Kate and brother Cliff.
Despite the depressing subject matter I found the film absorbing. There were some obvious deficiencies – Sophie Lowes's inaudible dialogue as Kate, the under – development of the Cliff character and the total absence of the mother, but these were offset by really strong performances by Bryan Brown (though he did not quite look as if he was on the point of death) and Ben Mendelsohn (who has matured into one of our better actors). I also rather enjoyed Maeve Dermody's turn as the trashcan. The flashback scenes are rather dream-like and not always very clear, but of course so is human memory. We see things very much through Ned's eyes – this is a subjective account of a painful past. The editing is good though, and the cinematography superb – one thing Aussie film-makers usually get right.
Well, it's a miserable story but at the end the surviving members of the family are a little closer. Ned is a writer but in the end this story proves too personal to be used. -
so many great actors that played their parts wonderfully, but at the end of the day, there is not one bit of originality. The film is trying to be a mixture between America, Sam Shepard, fools for love and the typical Australian movie, small community, smelly pub, indigenous people, broken cars, isolation, loneliness, etc... same same same, including soundtrack (including red mullet actor!). well-acted and that's it. are we ever going to see a movie about the REAL Australia, where actually people live? Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane.... why always in the surreal empty landscape with the small good (or ill) willing community? when you strip the film bare, there is not much there, lots of empty scenes to fill up the nothingness of the events. events that are so predictable, that there is not one aspect left to the imagination. Is that going to happen? yes it is. no element of surprise, no enlightenment. OK, good thing, apart from the acting, it's shot very well, but is that enough to produce another Australian movie?
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tedg13 November 2010In the last year, I saw a film ("In My Father's Den") with much the same themes. In that New Zealand film, a man, a celebrated war correspondent returns to his rural home on the death of his father. There are significant unresolved frictions between father and son. The returning man had sex with a girl when a boy, had left immediately thereafter, and that drives the tension. People are unhappy (the man burns his dad's stuff) but some unknown facts about the youthful relationship (there is a brother who hid something) are revealed and the man is freed of his ghosts.
The similarity with this story is so striking that it distracted me. That film managed to mix the emotions of rambling in inner hurt with the curiosity of a detective far better than this, and was thus more engaging.
This is adapted for the screen and directed by an actress for her husband, who plays the dying father. So it is no wonder that the structure of the long form is sacrificed for the power of certain scenes with the old man. And it is no wonder that unduly long episodes are included to establish character, for instance, we have a quarter of the film between our returning fellow and the dopey girl he brings with him. As far as we can tell, this is to show how messed up he is with women. Meanwhile, we get nothing about his life as a writer other than he is successful and writes autobiographically inspired pieces. Wouldn't this have been important, since the implication in all such situations is that we are reading his work in seeing the story?
The scenery is compelling but not folded into the story. While others may find the acting adequate or better, the only role that seemed real to me was the girl of the title. She plays a maturing Lolita temptress, and the cinematic handing of her is really quite superb. She flits in and out of the story for the first two thirds in such a way that we know she is the ghost. But then again, I just saw a similar character in "Carried Away" that was so much better integrated between the dramatic unfolding and the camera eye.
So put this one down as appealing scenery, and another entry in the directors who direct their lovers database.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements. -
johnnyboyz23 March 2011Beautiful Kate covers the emotionally wrenching comeuppance of a middle aged man venturing back to his childhood home so as to both figure out as well as address some serious issues from his life's past. He goes there with the general goal to do some serious soul searching, to tackle some items amidst a well-worn but still functioning farm-house that continues to house a father whom was always tough; the fact a mother died when he was a child; a young woman in the form of his fiancé who's travelling with him as well as a consistent sense of unease as he tries oh-so-very hard to confront personal demons which still resonate. The locale is a rather desolate and somewhat lonely patch of land based in the outback of Australia, a small enough house with quite a stretch of land around it but with very little in either direction although a whole lot in the form of history contained within.
We begin with the lead, a writer in his early forties; a handsome man with the wry gift of the gab and a fairly easy-going, laid back demeanour, named Ned (Mendelsohn) who's driving across barren patches of back-o-beyond Australia in what is a long drive a character identifies as "half way across the continent" - that woman the aforementioned fiancé named Toni (Dermody). The opening echoes the twisting, turning and persistently enticing nature of the rest of the film; at once calling to mind the likes of controversial feature film/novel Lolita in its depiction of a much younger woman involved with a man she herself identifies as old, the opening constructing a seductive and sexually aggressive portrait of young Toni, whom still sports her corner-shop plastic name-tag and informs us all of her desire to be an actress. We unaware of where they're headed or where they've headed from; maybe they are running from something, the presence of Toni's name-tag perhaps suggesting a hurried exit whereas the definitive lead to proceedings is made unclear as the question as to whether Ned is savvy enough to Toni's obvious sexuality hangs over events.
The film has them travel through the finer areas of the zone, specifically places that are perceived as more hostile-a territory in this, the great Australian void, as a sign informing people to 'keep out' hangs on top of a pole. On another occasion, a stray kangaroo ventures into the road and hits their car - the sight of death and blood and the result of a creature halfway to being alive and on its way to whatever's lurking after life visibly shakes Toni; Ned's reaction is far more measured, as if experience with this sort of event or material is familiar to him. Once at the family house, we realise it is still occupied by Ned's sister, Sally (Griffiths); she runs it on account of their father, Bruce (Brown), who's bed ridden and in need of frequent medical attention given his serious health condition that sees him close to death.
Director Ward's screenplay brings the characters, a disparate bunch all bound by the same family name or, in Toni's case, at least some form of intensified tie to one of the family members, together on a number of occasions and has the dialogue crackle as a result. Bruce's despondent and overly pessimistic tone a gruelling overlying resonance to proceedings, as his son attempts to reconcile a series of painful and agonising memories from his youth. Sally appears the more submissive of the household; a telling, and rather more emotionally charged than you'd expect, scene between her and Ned seeing her reveal to him that she has the habit of escaping her real-life persona, or world, and into an exotic Internet chat-room Salsa bar in which everybody is beautiful and drinks are free. This desire to escape or to let oneself loose into a new body is symptomatic with lead Ned's own desire to rid the ugly memories of the past by addressing it in a fresh novel he's chosen to written, eerily ritualistic nature, at his family home. At one point, Bruce attempts to transgress the notion of Toni being the meager, flirtatious one by inferring a past characteristic unto Ned more broadly linked to that of his fondness for easy sex with women as young as Toni. Ward peppers her film with the odd notion or question which begs to be asked - perhaps it is Toni who's being fooled into whatever, maybe the characteristics and conventions which the film utilised to define her during the opening segments are closer to being used against her by this man Ned.
Instilled into all of this is Toni's young, flimsy and flirtatious nature which very quickly sees her tire of her surroundings; the result of which is the toying with her husband to-be through a series of sexually charged notions, something all the more agonising when precisely what it is Ned's psychologically battling with comes to fruition. As the outsider to proceedings, Toni is our beacon upon which to experience most of these people and these surroundings for the very first time; the film slyly and highly effectively shifting gears and transferring what might be assumed to be the lead character in Toni onto that of Ned in the most natural and convincing of fashions. The film branches out and is made up of Ned's time at this house, often harking back to encompass his relationship with titular younger sister Kate (Lowe), something which is additionally given the utmost care and attention when constructed. Rachel Ward's film mutates, very slowly; even cunningly, into a rich character study as people come and go in and out of one other's lives, the whole time this catastrophic back-story lingering over proceedings, a back-story that is at once confrontative and, yes, disturbing but always morbidly fascinating as twists and turns play out in the past tense culminating in how it is our lead is why he is. -
kevin-rennie14 September 2009Director/screenwriter, Rachel Ward has created a very moving experience in Beautiful Kate. It's a story of a dysfunctional bush family, set in the dry but magnificent country around South Australia's Flinders Ranges. Ward's husband Bryan Brown doubles as producer and actor.
The death of his wife left Bruce Kendall to bring up their young children, two boys and two girls. His macho, tough approach to parenting brought nothing but disaster. A explosive mixture of adolescent sexual awakening and outback isolation was compounded by his choice of home schooling through School of the Air. The young twins Ned (Scott O'Donnell)and Kate (Sophie Lowe) were especially close.
When Bruce is dying, forty-year-old Ned (Ben Mendelsohn) returns to their property with his feisty girlfriend Toni (Maeve Dermody). Writer Ned starts to record his memories as a way of burying his ghosts or closet skeletons. When his sister leaves him as carer for several days, all the old wounds are reopened. The film is a journey towards the ubiquitous closure cliché. Bruce and Ned would find much more colourful synonyms for an ending, happy or otherwise.
This is a remarkably talented cast. Brown gives one of his most convincing performances and Mendelsohn impresses throughout. Rachel Griffiths as youngest sibling Sally is rock solid. Lowe does a fine job steering clear of the potential overkill inherent in her very difficult role. Dermody's scenes with Brown leave us with the certainty that there is much more depth to her character than we meet on the surface. Scott O'Donnell is a capable actor though he lacks the cheekiness and charisma of either the young or mature Mendelsohn.
The father/son confrontations are classics. Wall-flies would no doubt have enjoyed the rehearsals and off-screen banter. Rachel brings out the best and worst in both of them.
Kate is a well paced and structured narrative using unfolding flashbacks very effectively. Despite its themes, it is not a dark or brooding film of the kind that has been criticised lately. At one stage the older Ned cries out, "I'm still here!" in despair. As he drives back to the big smoke, these words herald a new opening.
Her feature film debut as director is a triumph for Rachel Ward.
Cinema Takes http://cinematakes.blogspot.com/ -
flemme4 January 2011Why are the other reviewers offended by the content,so many other movies today have religious themes mostly Muslim or Buddhist also Hindu none of these reviewers seem to mind those and systematically miss the point just like they did with this movie... if you are going to write a review then do so and try to be objective..thats what a review is .. keep your religious status to yourselves the readers are not interested in your religious persuasion.as for the movie in question it an OK production worth a look if you like indies .... The acting is acceptable lets not forget these are b movie actors at best,still the story gets across quite well. By reading your reviews i cannot help but think that you should watch more movies about tolerance and respect ... grow up everyone!!
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Floated221 January 2023The brief plot description details is telling of the film. Not having viewed many Australian films and not being completely aware in their films in general.
As a film this is quite a sad, depressing and slow movie family drama which ultimately feels pointless in the end.
The acting is strong and convincing, the actress played by Kate steals her scenes. The shots of the Australian scenery do look nice. A mix of flashbacks and present day scenes are how the film is shown.
Although this is a film on which you possibly must enjoy the type of story it displays. Found it rather boring at times and did not care too much for the characters or even the reveals (they were obvious and predictable).
The supposed twists weren't exactly twists but rather reveals, and by half way through the movie. They were quite easy to spot. -
arasheps6 July 2010I look at movies first from the cinematography point of view, And that was what got me in the start, but as the movie went forward, as I saw acting, as I saw story telling I found out that I'm looking at a masterpiece. Somebody recommended Last Ride, I really like Last Ride but this movie is really in a different league. I didn't know who this movie director is(I do this willingly to don't have any predict) and after I finished it I looked at the director's name: Rachel Ward, yeah Rachel Ward's masterpiece. Bryan Brown's acting is the best, i didn't know Sophie Lowe but she is probably an actor(Isn't actress creepy?) to remember her name for the future. Also time dimensions is something touchable in this movie. I highly recommend it if you consider yourself an open mind person, because you should enjoy the kind of passion thats going to get injected to you.
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ahifi9 August 2009Let me start by saying that Beautiful Kate is an acquired taste. I believe that it's a movie that'll either shock you or enthrall you. This will depend on how attached you can become to a film. If you are not one of those people, then you'll still find an interesting, yet disturbing, flick.
If you are one of those 'attached' people, like me, then you will find an unexpected masterpiece.
Technically, there is a lot of impressive stuff here. The direction, editing, production and cinematography are most impressive. The editing is the notable mention for the way in which the film blends together different timelines in such a seamless manner. So while the director performs brilliantly, I think it's the editing team who should step forward and take the final bow for creating something so cohesive. But South Australia must also take a bow for providing some spectacular backdrops which you will get to see as the movie progresses.
I think Kate will go down as a critics' favourite and I hope to see it win big at awards. Australia is the place to be for art-house films these days. Beautiful Kate is the pinnacle of modern Australian movies. In recent years we've seen the quality of Australian storytelling from 'Ten Canoes' all the way through to the likes of 'Kenny'.
If you liked this, then I thoroughly recommend you also see 'Last Ride' with Hugo Weaving.
To summarise, Beautiful Kate's dark subject matter is superbly crafted with technical and artistic skill that will lead you on a roller-coaster of emotion. Unforgettable. 10/10 -
No one involved in this production has put a single foot wrong in bringing this profoundly moving and overwhelmingly beautiful film to the screen. It is as fine a film as has ever been made.
Don't be put off by any comments claiming it is a dark or depressing film. It is not. Rather, it is poignant, tender and uplifting. At its heart it is illuminated by love and forgiveness. Do not miss this haunting and rewarding cinema experience.
Twenty years after his sister's death and his brother's suicide, a man returns to his childhood home in the remote Australian outback. He has come to see his dying father who is being cared for by his remaining sister. He brings his much younger fiancé with him. The visit brings back memories of long ago and for the first time the man fully comprehends the key tragedy in the lives of himself and his family.
After the early death of their mother, a father, who is ill equipped to show his love and affection, has raised four children in the remote and demanding outback. It is a tough life that lost its emotional anchor with the loss of the mother. Educated at home via the school of the air the children, and their father, are truly isolated from the wider world and from other human contact. Elder son Cliff has been subjected to "toughening up" treatment, younger sister Sally, though only a child, is aware of the currents within the household, while middle children, Ned and Kate have the deep and interdependent connection often observed in twins.
Within this isolated, oppressive and emotionally constrained environment, the children's need for love, affection, and for models for their developing sexuality and for human relationships goes unmet. Normal adolescent confusion and uncertainty mutates with tragic consequences when Kate's fear of growing into womanhood, with its concomitant morbid fear of her mother's breast cancer, finds resonances with Ned's primary emotional connection to her and his emerging sexuality.
Kate's fear of loosing her twin by them both growing up and by Ned finding a girlfriend is compounded by Ned's recognition also that the love between the twins is the single most important thing in each other's life. Love, fear, confusion and the desire for a physical manifestation of love propel their relationship into sibling incest. Ned's rejection of this results in the tragedy at the core of the film, when Kate seeks to both punish Ned for his rejection and to bind herself to her other brother Cliff in an escalation of emotional turmoil that was bound to be destructive. The effect is immediate and by night's end two of the siblings are dead.
This film is about love, and by the end, it is love that triumphs for the man, his sister and their father who dies surrounded by it.
The South Australian Flinders Ranges location for the film is absolutely stunning. Every frame of this film is perfect. Every performance is rich with understated nuances of character and emotional depth. Intelligence, understanding, compassion and empathy shine from this film and it is just a pity that these qualities are lost on some of the audience.