Movies

Jindabyne

Synopsis

Jindabyne is set in the south-east of New South Wales, a sparse but beautiful landscape. The story revolves around a group of fishermen who find the naked body of an Aboriginal girl.

Rather than raising the alarm immediately they tie the body to a rock, decide to continue fishing and report their discovery when they return from their weekend trip.

Some community members are appalled at their callousness and ask if they would have done the same had the body been that of a white girl.

The film explores the extent to which we can challenge our safe assumptions that race plays no part in our decision-making.

In resolving the relationships between the fishermen and their wives, slowly we come to see that there is a whole Aboriginal community living beside but not with the non-Aboriginal community.

Details

Cast
Laura Linney - Claire
Gabriel Byrne - Stewart
Deborra-Lee Furness - Jude
John Howard - Carl
Chris Haywood - Gregory
Leah Purcell - Carmel
Eva Lazzaro - Caylin-Calandria
Sean Rees-Wemyss - Tom
Alice Garner - Elissa
Stelios Yiakmis - Rocco
Simon Stone - Billy
Betty Lucas - Vanessa
Tatea Reilly - Susan
Release dates
2006 Cannes Film Festival - world premiere
2006 Toronto International Film Festival - North American premiere
20 July 2006 - Australia
27 April 2007 - United States
Awards
2006 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Deborra-Lee Furness). 2006 Valladolid International Film Festival: Best Actress (Laura Linney), Best Music. 2006 Stockholm Film Festival: Best Manuscript (by Beatrix Christian), FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film. 2006 Aria Fine Arts Award: Best Soundtrack (Australia) 2006 Australian Screen Sound Guild Awards: Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound Recording, Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound Mixing, Feature Film Soundtrack of the Year. 2006 Edinburgh Film Festival: Herald Angel Award
Rating
M - Mature
Soundtrack
Paul Kelly & Dan Luscombe featuring Soteria Bell
Notes

Jindabyne is adapted from the Raymond Carver short story, So Much Water So Close to Home.

Actor Leah Purcell is also an Aboriginal director.

Jindabyne was filmed entirely on location in and around the town of the same name - Jindabyne, New South Wales, situated next to the Snowy Mountains.

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Cite this page

Korff, J 2018, Jindabyne, <https://www.creativespirits.info/resources/movies/jindabyne>, retrieved 7 December 2024

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