Suburban Mayhem (2006)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Paul Goldman

Writer:

Alice Bell (written by)

Release Date:

26 October 2006 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

There are some things in life you can't control. Fame. Lust. Murder . . . And Katrina.

Plot:

Why does a 19 year-old girl plot to kill her own father? Katrina Skinner is stuck in suburbia with her toddler daughter and her devoted dad...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Mayhem | Suburb | Fractured Narrative | Family Relationships

Awards:

8 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Emily Barclay	...	Katrina Skinner
Steve Bastoni	...	Detective Andretti
Laurence Breuls	...	Danny
Michael Dorman	...	Rusty
Anthony Hayes	...	Kenny
Geneviève Lemon	...	Auntie Dianne
Robert Morgan	...	John Skinner
Susan Prior	...	Christine Andretti
Mia Wasikowska	...	Lilya
Lawrence Aitchson	...	Welfare Man (as Lawrence Aitchison)
Rod Ansell	...	Angry Neighbour
Christine Armstrong	...	Defence Lawyer
Phillip Ayoub	...	Sergeant Harris
Callan Boys	...	Random Guy
Nigel Castellum	...	Junior Policeman

Also Known As:

Külvárosi ámokfutás (Hungary) [hu]
Le feu sous la peau (France) [fr]
Violência em Família (Brazil) (festival title) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, pervasive language, some violence and drug use.

Runtime:

Australia:95 min | UK:89 min | Canada:90 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | France:-12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Maitland Gaol, Maitland, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

Alice Bell was Emily Barclay's body double for the film. Driving, texting and snorting cornflour instead of speed.

Quotes:

Rusty: What's going on here? Is he going to kill your dad for you? Is that what you and him is about?
Katrina: I don't know what you're talking about. You're crazy.
Rusty: I'm crazy? You're having sex with a disabled!

Movie Connections:

Features "Li'l Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Devil Song

Worth seeing

In some respects, this was quite an ambitious film – it's dark, smart, and edgy – a little bit in the vein of Brick (not as polished but a whole lot better). The music and energy are all there, but there seems to be a few flat spots. It may have benefited from some further editing to keep the momentum up, even though it's already just under 90 minutes in length. It seems like the writer and director had some good ideas, that weren't fully realised.

I think many cinema-goers will find this entertaining, and I certainly recommend it over the bulk of Hollywood releases (not that that's saying much), if that's your taste. For me it seemed laboured and contrived. The performances by the actors were generally (but not universally) OK. Emily Barclay's performance was good, but her character failed to engage – somewhat like Kath and Kim on speed. It's not that her character was nasty (David Wenham's monumental performance in The Boys was extremely nasty), but more that it seemed manufactured. Her brattishness becomes grating after a while.

The mid-film interviews reminded me of 2:37. They were better done in this film, but still detract somewhat from the continuity of the film.

The script seemed a bit clunky and self-conscious and just didn't quite work for me. I think the director depended too much on the sound-track and style over substance. A strength of the film is that it took some risks, but they weren't fully realised.