Travis Johnson previews the year to come in Australian film – there are some beauties coming our way.
2023 was a somewhat quiet year in Australian cinema, in no small part owing to a couple of mooted big box office draws, such as the hotly anticipated Force of Nature: The Dry 2, being kicked down the track a bit. Still, we had the odd breakout, such as indie sensation Christmess, and the occasional critical darling, like The Royal Hotel, The New Boy, and Limbo. The big hitter, of course, was Talk To Me, which continues Australia’s strong but weird tradition of great horror movies directed by siblings for some reason. Still, if we’re being honest, not the strongest year for Australian film, at least in term of box office.
But 2024? 2024 is shaping up to be a banger year, with a heady mix of big-ticket crowd pleasers and ambitious indies. All these aside, a new Mad Max film should pump up the numbers, even without the presence of our man Max. So, here’s a taste of what we’re looking forward to in the coming months.
Furiosa
George Miller returns to the post-apocalyptic wasteland to tell the tale of Imperator Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy, subbing in for Charlize Theron) and how she rose to become one of Immortan Joe’s most trusted commanders, as seen in Mad Max: Fury Road. Chris Hemsworth and what appears to be Bradley Cooper’s nose from Maestro co-star, along with Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Nathan Jones, Angus Sampson, Quaden Bayles, Daniel Webber, and Lachy Hulme Our excitement levels could not be higher—this will be the action movie to beat in 2024.
Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Director Robert Connolly and star Eric Bana reunite for the next adventure of laconic Aussie detective Aaron Falk. Adapting the second book in Jane Harper’s popular crime series, the film sees Falk investigating the disappearance of a woman on a corporate retreat in the remote Victorian mountains. She’s not a lost hiker, though, but a whistleblower who was about to lift the lid on her company’s dirty dealings, which is motive enough for murder. We were getting this last year, but now Force of Nature is set to be the first major Australian release of 2024.
The Surfer
Nicolas freakin’ Cage stars in this drama set and shot in Western Australia’s picturesque Margaret River region. The Con Air star plays a surfer (duh) who returns to his hometown after decades in the US, only to clash with the local beach rats who are rather territorial about their beaches. Julian McMahon and Miranda Tapsell co-star, with Vivarium director Lorcan Finnegan calling the shots. Sadly, Cage will not be attempting an Australian accent, which strikes us as a missed opportunity.
Image: Gettin’ Square
Spit
One of the most iconic characters in Australian cinema, petty criminal and junkie John “Spit” Spitieri, returns to the big screen in this newly announced sequel to crime classic Gettin’ Square. Details are a bit thin on the ground—it doesn’t even have an imdb page yet—but David Wenham will presumably return to play the titular lovable loser, who finds himself banged up in immigration detention with old enemies rather keen to settle a few scores. Jonathan Teplitzky directs.
The Moogai
You’d think Australia would crank out more Indigenous-themed folk horror, but it’s a subgenre that has only been lightly explored over the years – Tracey Moffatt’s 1993 film Bedevil is probably the most high-profile example. But now here comes The Moogai from director Jon Bell, which sees Shari Sebbens as a young Indigenous mother who comes to suspect that the titular malevolent ghost is trying to steal away her baby. Bell is expanding his own highly regarded short film, and Meyne Wyatt and Tessa Rose co-star.
Wolf Creek 3
Murderous Mick Taylor returns to do more damage to the tourism industry as he carves his way through whatever tourists are unfortunate enough to cross his path. Rachele Wiggins (Deadhouse Dark) takes the directing reins from franchise founder Greg McLean for this one, which sees our man Mick hunting an American family across the outback, with predictably gory results. Willa Fitzgerald, Hutch Dano, and Gökdeniz A. Özcetin are on the chopping block, while Aussie acting legend John Jarratt once again essays the homicidal ocker we’ve come to know and love.
An Ideal Wife
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke plays Constance Lloyd, anti-corset activist (history is wild, folks) and wife of raconteur and author Oscar Wilde, in this biopic from Good Luck to You, Leo Grande and 52 Tuesdays director, Sophie Hyde. Now, fans of history and 19th century English literature will know that Wilde was rather notable for preferring the company of men (and did two years for his trouble), which indicates that Hyde will once again be tackling issues of sexuality and gender. This one is still in pre-production, with no further details available (we don’t even know who’s playing Oscar) but the combo of director and subject make this a must see.
Image: Leila George, Sam Corlett & Greta Scacchi (L to R)
He Ain’t Heavy
David Vincent Smith’s short film I’m Not Hurting You won rave notices on the festival circuit after debuting at the Sydney Film Festival, and now it’s being expanded into a feature that sees a young woman go to great lengths to save her brother from addiction – up to and including kidnapping. Starring Leila George, Sam Corlett and Greta Scacchi, this looks like another in Australia’s long tradition of grim AF social realist dramas, so your mileage may vary, but Smith is a prodigious talent, and we can’t wait to see him work on a larger canvas.
Image: Charles Williams
Inside
Having handily scooped up the Palme d’Or for his short film, All These Creatures, Charles Williams writes and directs this prison drama that follows a young man (Vincent Miller) who is transferred from juvenile detention to an adult prison, where he finds his loyalties divided between two would-be mentors, one a hardened inmate (Cosmo Jarvis), the other about to be paroled (Guy Pearce). It sounds like Platoon meets Ghosts… of the Civil Dead, which makes this a must-see for us.
How to Make Gravy
Australia’s greatest Christmas song gets the big screen treatment! Paul Kelly’s melancholy seasonal singalong about a prisoner writing home as Christmas approaches is slated to be the first original feature from streaming service Binge, and features Daniel Henshall, Hugo Weaving, Agathe Rouselle, Brenton Thwaites, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany… and a dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and that extra tang. And as for the plot? Well, it’s the 21st of December…
