Shot mainly in the Kimberley region of north-western Western Australia, Mad Bastards takes us on a journey with TJ (Dean Daley-Jones), a young man who is troubled and needs to get away to try and sort himself out. He heads north to look for his estranged son Bullet (Lucas Yeeda) who, at thirteen, is also on a fast track to becoming a mad bastard as well.

Directed by Brendan Fletcher, who is best know for his concert and music docos, and in collaboration with The Pigrams and Alex Lloyd, this is a film that resonates long after you leave the cinema. It is a story of transformation, inspired by oral stories, that gives an insight into how a community can heal and reinvigorate a lost soul.

TJ’s trip to Five Rivers, where Bullet lives with TJ’s estranged girlfriend, Nella (Ngaire Pigram), is a visual experience. Shot by Allan Collins (the first indigenous cinematographer to be accredited by the Australian Cinematographers Society), he travels north along the arid coast of the West Australian outback, which is both majestic and overwhelming - not unlike the task ahead. Along the way, TJ meets the Pigram Brothers, who kind of perform the role of a Greek chorus, filling his journey with music while obliquely passing comment about his progress. Their musical collaboration with Alex Lloyd, playing the blues around a BBQ in a wreckers’ yard, is one of the best scenes in the film.

By the time TJ reaches his destination, he learns that Bullet has been sent off on an orientation trip - because he fire-bombed a house – which is conducted by the tribal elders in an attempt to put troubled kids back on track. Like father and son, both TJ and Bullet have a little man inside of them who wields an uncontrollable axe.

The town is looked after by Bullet’s grandfather, Texas (Greg Tait) who is the local copper. Nella, Bullet’s mother, has problems with alcohol and life itself. This is a family drama so real that you get totally immersed in the rage and frustration revealed on screen.

Mad Bastards is one of the best Aussie films you will see this year. The script was born out of real-life experiences and is delivered by mainly non-professional actors who are basically playing themselves or, at the very least, telling stories that they are all too familiar with; for example, it is interesting to note that Greg Tait took leave from his job as a police officer to appear in the film and John Watson, the bush camp elder, really does run a bush-camp program for troubled indigenous youth. All the other performances are excellent, particularly Ngaire Pigram who, unlike most of the cast, had formal training at WAAPA in Perth and whose professional screen debut was in Bran Nue Dae.

With a visual panorama and a story that is so personal, Mad Bastards is a film that will do very well on the festival circuit and was a hit at Sundance this year. It is a great time for Indigenous films as they are proving to be consistently good. In the current market, where some of this year’s Aussie films have lagging scripts, this one comes straight from the heart. Not since Samson & Delilah has an indigenous story made such an impact. Don’t miss it.

// SALT
moviereview colin fraser film movie australia review critic flicks