Having read the previous comments, I wondered if I'd been watching the same film. There may have been changes for the American release, since I don't recall voice-overs for the Australian version (maybe Americans need things spelled out. Comes from watching too much Hollywood.) This is _not_ Hollywood. It's small in scope, with budget to match, and it runs at a tender pace. If you want something fast, get fast food. If you want something absorbing and thoughtful, watch this.Having said that, my perspective was strangely shifted as I watched it. (I can't recall another film that has done this to me so well.) I thought I was watching a "small town boy makes good" film, but after a while it became obvious it was about a bloke who _couldn't_ make good with his relationships - and didn't realise it. Everyone was being nice to him, and he didn't realise he was slapping them in the face.Maybe the other commenters here were waiting for something to happen, then didn't find anything. But the happening is in the _journey_, and speaks to our ability to grow, or not.Finally, as vindication, I'd note that this film garnered a slew of Australian Film Industry Awards. And the industry here is not small or undiscriminating.In contrast to the nay-sayers, I'll say this is one of the best Australian films of the past 10 years. There's heaps of heart in this film. Watch it with your eyes open.

The trouble with this film is that it is empty. Ben Medehlson is usually really good but in this little Aussie drama he really struggles to find his character. It's a pity because it had a few things going for it but didn't deliver.

People seem to either love or hate Mullet (and Caesar for that matter). I enjoyed this one, although Caesar's work often comes across as self-indulgent. I went in not expecting anything in particular, and therefore wasn't disappointed (as many other reviewers apparently were). The genre is "a slice of life", although for about 90% of the plot, it appears to be building to something else - possibly this is what disappoints. I was pleasantly surprised when it resisted the obvious resolution. Visually a feast, and with an appropriate sound-track, this is worth seeing.

Spoilers herein.I expect to be one of the few North Americans to see this Australian production as I cannot imagine it being released here. I saw it a block from the Opera House during a visit to Sydney, and found it self-referential in that way where the form of the film reflects its content.The content involves (mostly) poking fun at a particular type of rural Australian town. It exploits limited provincial vision and superficiality. But it itself has limited provincial vision and superficiality. And the relationship between layers is wholly unintended and artless.The sister gives a good performance.