South Solitary is an Australian story told on a small canvas - a lighthouse off the Victoria coast. The cast of isolated characters makes for often intense, often comic, interactions overlaid by the propriety of 1920s manners. The domineering father and lighthouse keeper played by Barry Otto tries to impose his will on his niece and domestic servant Meredith (Miranda Otto) and on the two assistant keepers. The story revolves around Meredith as her back story is slowly revealed. Her growing friendship with the war damaged assistant keeper, Fleet, consumes the second half of the film but there is no Hollywood ending here. There is superb acting even among the children. The Ottos are two of Australia's finest actors but don't get the recognition overseas they deserve because they do not seek "stardom". Miranda did, however, play in the Lord of the Rings. The music is a character in the story on its own setting the mood without overwhelming.We were playing the CD long before we saw the movie.

A man and his niece, Meredith, arrive on a remote island where a light house is situated and he is to serve as the new head lighthouse keeper ("head keeper" for short). Already serving on the island are 2 keepers: A man named Harry who has a wife and 3 children; a young girl and 2 boys a few years older. Harry is sociable; a smooth chatterbox with a bit of mischief and slyness in his humor and overall personality. The second keeper is a man named Fleet who is the opposite of Harry. So he's a man of few words who likes to keep to himself. As well, he seems to be wrestling with some painful issue concerning a war he served in; an issue that on occasion causes him to become delusional and behave oddly (problematic when it occurs on his watch).Newly arrived, Meredith encounters some resentment on the part of Harry's wife, Alma, who feels he was unfairly passed over for the job of head keeper though she assures Meredith that she does not blame her personally. Alma comes across as strong and hard-working; someone who has her hands full all the time (Well why not? She has 3 children and maybe to some extent a fourth in her husband). She is no-nonsense and blunt and one has the impression that she is not a good enemy to make.Just before encountering Alma, Meredith immediately befriends Nettie, Harry and Alma's little girl, by allowing the child to care for a lamb she brought to the island with her. This makes Alma happy. She is a somewhat enigmatic child; and so one get's the impression that one has to be wary or tactful around her lest one say the wrong thing and she goes scurrying off to plot your untimely end (just kidding). In contrast, we do not get as good a look at her 2 brothers; only enough to determine that they are 2 scamps.On his part, Meredith's uncle Wadsworth wastes no time laying down the law. Essentially saying to his subordinates, "It will not be business as usually. You are irresponsible slackers (the light in the light house was reported out a few times by passing ships). Your conduct will go on record. Shape up, or ship out." So we learn early in that Uncle Waddy has no sense of humor. All business all the time. Old guy treats Meredith likes she's JUST an employee (she actually is; a secretary of sorts) and not also his niece. Their relationship is formal; more so on his side since Meredith is friendly by nature. She also has a weakness in her character suggested by this friendliness which leads to tragedy.What to say about Meredith herself? My impression of her is of a friendly, out-going, out-reaching person. This per se or by itself is not a bad thing. But we come to understand that at the root of this friendliness is "neediness". So she's not only reaching out to you, but "pulling you in" as well to be used as a crutch of some sort; to compensate for something lacking. Perhaps a certain level of self-sufficiency that comes with maturity; the ability to deal with being alone sometimes. Meredith is not a bad person but her neediness is very strong. We see this symbolically in the baby lamb she brought to the island clutched to her bosom. This neediness can lead to thoughtlessness and selfishness wherein assuaging one's own need, or in Meredith's case, her "sense of loneliness", takes priority over all else; her sense of honor and decency; her responsibility to others.I won't spoil it for you by saying much more. I believe I've given enough hints on how Meredith's flawed character; her neediness (appearing outwardly as excessive friendliness and kindness) get's her into trouble. This movie has a laid back pace. There's no "high drama" until around the middle, or so. And that only translated into raised voices, Meredith crying, and some leaving the island. In a nutshell, no one stabbed or shot anyone, ---or held anyone for ransom (Damn it!). Anyone who likes "relationship drama" will enjoy it much more, I think. Possibly women more than men, though I don't want to stereotype. Love, Boloxxxi.

Take nine rather unpleasant people who treat each other badly, put them on a small, desolate, windswept island and you should have the makings of a film that even Ingmar Burgman would find tedious Shirley Barrett, who seems to have a predilection for making films about unattractive people, manages to turn these ingredients into an elegy to "hope". Hope, you may be aware, is a member of the trilogy of eternal virtues that can redeem the lives of people who refuse to succumb to feelings of self-loathing and despair.The other two eternal virtues are faith and love, and if I have a criticism of this film, it is that Barrett does not allow the last two humans standing on the island to consummate their growing mutual attraction, at least within the confines of the film The prop she uses to make this believable is the lighthouse they manage to keep illuminated, shining in the darkness of the surrounding stormy sea Miranda Otto gives us a grown-up reprise of the character she created in Barrett's first film, "Love Serenade"Marton Csokas crafts his performance as a World War I shell-shock, neurotic so organically that we can believe his stilted overtures to greater intimacy at the end of the filmBarry Otto's light house keeper has taken a different route to dealing with the moral void uncovered by the evil and stupidity of World War I. He too has been damaged by the experience, but instead of succumbing to the numbing silence of Csokas, he has embraced a near military conformity to the idea of the benign authority of human institutions, all appearances to the contrary. It is a mark of Barrett's skill as a writer-director, that she allows his niece to acknowledge his care for her when she had attracted the disapproval of polite society.Barett has crafted a small, quietly spoken, life affirming film that draws the viewer into the lives of its protagonists and leaves them feeling richer for the experience.

The new Australian romantic drama South Solitary is beautifully filmed, nicely acted, but is ultimately a rather dull and vaguely unsatisfying experience. This is the first film from director Shirley Barrett in over a decade. Barrett's debut film Love Serenade was a vaguely disappointing story of love, loneliness and desperation set in rural Victoria, and established her reputation. There are a few thematic similarities with her third film, South Solitary, which is a claustrophobic tale of love, loneliness and desperation set in on a remote windswept island off the coast of Australia in 1927. Wadsworth (Barry Otto) is a veteran of the lighthouse service who has been sent to the remote South Solitary lighthouse to bring the staff into order after several complaints have been lodged by passing ships. He is accompanied by his niece Meredith (Miranda Otto), an unmarried 35-year-old woman, who has never found a man in her life since her fiancé perished in WWI. The family living on the island are initially resentful of their presence because they assumed that Harry (Rohan Nichol) would be automatically promoted. However, the isolation soon begins to take its toll on the desperate, love-lorn Meredith and her demanding uncle. Psychologically damaged World War One veteran Fleet (Marton Csokas) is another regular worker at the lighthouse, and he does not quickly warm to the pair either. And Meredith's affair with the womanizing Harry further complicates the dynamics of the small group. The performances of the key cast are very good. This is the first time that Barry Otto and his Miranda Otto have appeared together on film since Dead Letter Office in 1998, and their dynamic adds to their relationship. Miranda is strong as the psychologically scarred and love-lorn Meredith. Csokas is good as the withdrawn Fleet who has his own emotional baggage to deal with. Barrett's low-key direction keeps everything understated here. South Solitary is deliberately paced, and not a lot happens in the first hour and the running time could have been trimmed by at least 20 minutes. There are few dramatic moments to hook the audience in. Nor does the film really tap into the psychological implications of the isolated setting for the characters. The film has been stunningly shot on location at lighthouses near Point Nelson and Cape Otway, by cinematographer Anna Howard. These isolated locations certainly help underscore some of the film's main themes. But the film is ultimately something of a disappointment. While not quite another typically down beat and grim local drama, South Solitary is nonetheless a moody and largely low key drama that will struggle to find an audience.