At a minimum security prison near Melbourne, Viktor Khadem (Don Hany - Lucky Miles) arrives with an aggressive reputation that belies the care he shows for Paul (Xavier Samuel - Adoration), a vulnerable new inmate. It's also at odds with the concern he shows for a raptor that is found trapped on a barb wire fence. It's unlikely that Viktor is the man he wants them to think he is, one of the many challenges presented to prison officer Matt Perry (Hugo Weaving - Mystery Road) who is charged with integrating the men back into society. Building a recovery compound for birds of prey is one solution – it creates work, helps the local sanctuary and sends early signals to the audience about the film's thematic construct.

Director Craig Monahan's (The Interview) compelling study of confined men is an unlikely prison yarn, not the least for its welcome lack of violence. Not that it is one without tension. Part of the early set up involves hard nosed Warren (Anthony Hayes - Newcastle) who wants to establish himself as the prison's main man. Peddling soft drugs helps, as does his stooge Shane (Mark Leonard Winter - Balibo) who is willing to do Warren's work for a quiet life. But with release around the corner, Viktor is having none of it.

This redemption yarn follows a predictable path that doesn't particularly stretch its cast, all of whom turn in solid, watchable performances. Hany is notable. But as the fairly obvious themes are nudged through their paces (damaged creatures finding the care they need to rediscover their place in the world – in or out of a cage), the human story keeps slipping into the background. Monahan seems more interested in his feathered actors than their human co-stars though perhaps with good reason; Oscar winner Andrew Lesnie's (The Hobbit) impressive footage of these birds alone is worth the price of admission. None the less, Healing sets a welcome, deliberate pace which lets conflict build and defuse without overplaying it hand. What could have been overblown melodrama is, instead, an intelligent and satisfying film.

// COLIN FRASER

Previewed at Sony theatrette, Sydney, on 17 February 2014