As he grew older, Isaac's father grew darker. So dark in fact, that just minutes into Tony Krawitz's chilling film, he kills himself. It launches a life-changing journey for his Greek-Australian son (Ewen Leslie) who, against his mother's wishes, takes the old man's ashes back to Greece. Seemingly uninterested in commitment to anything or anyone, violent rumours from the past, anti-semitism and a family curse lead Isaac through Athens, Paris and Budapest in search of the truth, a journey that will profoundly challenge his moral and mental compass.

In adapting the controversial and 'unfilmable' novel Dead Europe by Christos Tsiolkas (Head On, The Slap), Krawitz pares down the story to concentrate on Isaac's unravelling life, and that of a Europe crumbling under the pressure of failed governments and waves of impoverished immigrants. A piteous young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) epitomises this sentiment and catches Isacc's photographers' eye, but the boy's pleas for help haunt Isaac as the formerly 'ridiculous' curse takes hold. After all, a madman's terror is very real to the madman.

As Krawitz engages with the fear and horror of Isaac's new Europe, stunning lens work distinguishes this bold production that presents a world tourist boards don't want you to see: corrupt, diseased, broken. Malaise is embodied by the gay-porn slave-trade in which Isaac's estranged brother (a chilling Martin Csokas) is embroiled. It is also where Isaac confronts his darkest demons.

Although episodic in structure, each moody character cul-de-sac and narrative swing brings greater depth to Isaac's journey as he transitions from a casual observer to a profoundly disturbed participant in his own story. He's a man eyeing up the past, and facing his responsibility to the present. The result is a bleak, atmospheric and utterly seductive thriller, one that doesn't offer up its secrets readily. One that, as it does of Isaac, expects you to participate with fully as well.

// COLIN FRASER
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