Review of Beautiful Kate (2009 Film):

Beautiful 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. 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.

Yet 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.