Review of Jindabyne (2006) by Billy S — 16 Sep 2007

Expect the unexpected with Australian filmmaking - and Ray Lawrence's Jindabyne bends the rules more than most. Centred upon the murder of a local woman and her discovery by a group of four friends on a fishing trip, the film steers our attention away from the victom and to the fishermen and their families as their collective grief and guilt threatens to spill over into their daily lives.

Jinabyne takes its name from a fictional town flooded to make way for a resevoir; it's the theme of supression runs deep through this film, making it an uncomfortable but compulsive watch. One of the final scenes - the dead girl's traditional remembrance ceremony - is a highlight, while Linney is outstanding, giving a superb performance as a fragile mother and wife.