Burning Man

Editorial

Jonathan Teplitzky makes it hard to extoll the virtues of a fab Aussie effort while not being able to say much for fear of giving away the plot.

Here's what we can reveal without threat of reprisal: lead players Matthew Goode and Bojana Novakovic are terrific. Goode is the film's keystone, appearing in almost every shot and on the end of numerous close-ups. Throughout, he aptly demonstrates how much a talented actor can say with the merest twitch of a face muscle. Aussie starlet Novakovic, meanwhile, navigates an emotionally complex role with a great degree of assurance and authenticity.

And let us not forget the brilliant performance of nine-year-old Jack Heanly, playing Tom's son Oscar. Anyone that can hold the screen at that age deserves credit, but Heanly has to do a lot more than be cute: his scenes include an episode of full-on, angry swearing and a turn as a stand-up comic.  He's also shown an early aptitude for picking scripts: the only other role of his fledgling career was in Animal Kingdom.

This isn't an exclusively depressing affair; Tom's many and varied sexual encounters are a regular source of amusement. They include one in the opening scene with, ahem, himself, as well as a kitchen-based scenario that has to go down as one of the most (intentionally) unsexy sex scenes ever.

Also keep an eye out for the treatment that's doled out to a duck sent back by a complaining customer in Tom's restaurant, as well as a scene between Goode and Novakovic in a waiting room that is impossible not to be charmed and gladdened by.
Make the most of those fun moments: you'll need a steady supply of tissues for the rest of Burning Man.

Dan Poole