Summary
Classic cinema and the backstreets of Melbourne collide in a debut feature that focuses on character.
Jason Raftopoulos’ Melbourne-shot film has undergone a title change since we first started talking about it as Father’s Day in early 2017, but the core of the film still remains one of a father-son relationship. Raftopoulos’ feature debut first screened at the Venice Film Festival last year, showcasing another side of Victoria’s capital to the world.
Otherwise down-to-earth courier Jim (Damian Hill) is crippled by gambling debts, and is in the hole to a loan shark for $15,000. His financial plan is to pick the next winner at the track. However, as it comes down to crunch time, Jim has to look after his son Alex (Ty Perham) during a day off school. Here his son witnesses his father’s strengths and weaknesses up close.
Described as a modern Australian version of Bicycle Thieves, there’s a definite structural similarity – and a sense of foreboding – to Vittorio De Sica’s neorealism. Alex isn’t quite as blindly trusting as young Bruno, and in fact is determined to make the day difficult for Jim at first. Yet he’s also taken through a similar arc: a possible prostitute, a drug dealer, a visit to the TAB. The latter pays off, but we know from this structure that Jim’s luck is self-defeating.
Hill is solid as Jim, and his background as a writer (Pawno), coupled with a reasonably fleshed out character, gives him plenty to work with. As the film unfolds, we learn that Jim is estranged from his own father, and the vintage car he holds onto dearly is one of the last things he possesses from that relationship. There’s a handful of character threads that don’t quite pay off, including Jenny (Eliza D’Souza), one of the handful of female characters who exist as a plot spring for Jim.
Thom Neal’s camera shoots the kind of Melbourne that you don’t typically see. This isn’t the tourist trap of laneways and Fed Square, and nor is it the cafes and suburbs of Fitzroy. It’s warehouses, the back seat of cars, and public houses that don’t look like they’ve changed their decor in 40 years. There’s a warmth to the photography, such as the careful use of natural light through a windshield.
Raftopoulos doesn’t leave us on a moment of pessimism, despite the rough ride. Indeed, the last few trials for Jim leave him literally battered and bruised. He may be left with very little, but he’s all the richer for it. WEST OF SUNSHINE may not break any new ground, but it’s a reliable character piece that’s a showcase for what will hopefully be more from this creative team.
2017 | Australia | DIRECTOR: Jason Raftopoulos | WRITERS: Jason Raftopoulos | CAST: Damian Hill, Ty Perham, Arthur Angel | DISTRIBUTOR: Sydney Film Festival, Exile Entertainment (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 78 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 9 June 2018 (SFF)
