Wish You Were Here
Dir: Kieran Darcy-Smith
2012
****
It's been a while since I've seen a thriller that has genuinely kept me on the edge of my seat and made my heart pump at an uncomfortable rate. Kieran Darcy-Smith's provocative and frighteningly real drama is another example of the Australians doing great thriller. I've often thought that the Australian film industry is generally (and unfairly) overlooked and with films of this calibre having global releases, I still don't understand why? Kieran Darcy-Smith is a well established actor who knows a thing or two about film making. He is one of a few interesting Australian actors who have moved behind the camera of late (Nash Edgerton, David Michod), they all seem to have worked with each other in the past, it's almost starting to feel like a movement. It reminded me of Colin Eggleston's brilliant 1978 thriller/horror Long Weekend and I wonder if it was an influence as far as overall style was concerned. The non-linear narrative is very successful and really proves Darcy-Smith's worth as it isn't an easy thing to achieve. To jump from present day to past events and back again multiple times is one thing, but to do so and nurture a growing sense of dread without complicating the story is quite masterful. The film becomes almost unbearably intense towards the end but the reward is there, making it one of the most unique and powerful dramas made in quite a long time.