Beautiful Kate Movie Review

Beautiful Kate played in the cinemas about a year ago, but it is only recently that I have had the chance to see it, courtesy of Foxtel and a rainy Saturday.
 
I was attracted by the fact that Rachel Ward had produced it, that it is supposed to be a good quality Australian film, and that Ben Mendelsohn was in the lead role. I have a bit of a celeb-crush on Ben M so anything he is in is usually a must-see in my book! I knew before I watched the movie that the subject matter was challenging and disturbing – even though I didn’t know exactly what it was and there is no doubt that this was the case. However this is what makes the film such a great film.

The subject matter was able to be handled in such a way that it did not make the film seem sensationalized and whilst you did feel very disturbed you could also understand how things like this happen.

The three main roles were outstanding – Ben M, Bryan Brown and Rachel Griffiths. And the way that Rachel Brown was able to capture the grittiness and bleakness of the Australian Outback, without the usual clichés, was brilliant. My only criticism was that it seemed to tie up a bit too neatly at the end. The bombshell came at the right movie moment which in some ways seemed a bit strange as to why it was not discussed before.

You certainly have to be in the right frame of mind to watch a movie like this – don’t watch it on a first date (like one of my friends did) and don’t watch it if you are after some light fluff to cheer you up. But if you are after some serious drama, by outstanding local actors, then you will be more than satisfied with this movie.