We’ve had a ripper year of Aussie film, covering all genres from claymation drama to Indigenous horror, musical comedy and drug-fuelled sci-fi.
Without further ado, these are ScreenHub’s best Australian films of 2024, and where to watch them.
The 14 best Australian films of 2024, as chosen by ScreenHub
ScreenHub: Best 5 films to stream this week
14. The Rooster
Director: Mark Leonard-Winter
Cast: Hugo Weaving, Phoenix Raei
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 101m
In a word: Magnificent.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘The Rooster opens on a startling, Melancholia-like delirium depicting a body swinging in the wind … Nudity is a soul undressed in actor-turned-writer-director Mark Leonard Winter’s at times bleakly comic debut feature’, wrote our reviewer, Stephen Russell, who gave the film four stars out of five.
‘This is very much a film about those who cannot admit their deepest wounds, getting there slowly but unsurely through bloody belligerence. As such, it can be a tough ask at times, but both Raei and Weaving are magnificent, carrying us with them.’
Where to watch: Netflix. Watch the trailer.
13. Paco
Director: Tim Carlier
Cast: Manuel ‘Paco’ Ashman, Hebe Sayce
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 90m
In a word: Supersonic.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘Tim Carlier’s Paco (2022) is a small film (in terms of budget and distribution, at any rate) that achieves something equally precious for its setting of post-COVID Adelaide.’ Wrote our reviewer, David Heslin.
‘If, like Slacker, its intention is mostly parodic – its characters are a similar tangle of eccentrics, artists and dilettantes, all played for laughs – it also captures something about the city that feels deeply rooted in the place it was shot, contained within the CBD-hugging parks, footpaths, pubs, churches and warehouses that populate the film, as well as about the community of people who made the film (many of the actors appear to be playing thinly veiled versions of themselves).’
Where to watch: Apple TV (rent or buy only). Watch the trailer.
12. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Director: George Miller
Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Chris Hemsworth
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 149m
In a word: Electric.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘Held up against the monstrously cinematic Fury Road, Furiosa falls just a touch short. But only by an inch or two,’ wrote our reviewer, Stephen Russell.
‘With a battalion of death-defying stunt performers corralled by a returning Guy Norris, who first risked life and limb on Mad Max 2, the action sequences are astounding, grinding every gear for maximum anxiety. Whatever the true balance between practical effect and computer wizardry, it feels like Taylor-Joy could be mincemeat at any moment.
‘Stepping up to the plate with Theron is an unenviable task, but Taylor-Joy has the might to make the switch feel real, even if the timeline for one to become the other is a little wonky. Massive props must also go to The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart actor Alyla Browne, whose command of the opening sequences is rigorous as Furiosa resists after being snatched by Dementus’ motorbike-riding marauders, led by the ever-menacing David Field. A case of nominative determinism in action, Furiosa wasn’t so much forged out of tragedy as born ready to mete out mayhem in the highly likely chance of its occurrence.’
Where to watch: Apple TV (rent or buy only). Watch the trailer.
11. The Moogai
Director: Jon Bell
Cast: Meyne Wyatt, Shari Sebbens
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 84m
In a word: Monstrous.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘Expanding on the short film of the same name, Bell casts star of stage and screen Sharri Sebbens as hot-shot lawyer Sarah, who finds herself caught in the vortex of this maelstrom of heavy history,’ wrote Stephen Russell. ‘She’s at the top of her game as she heads on maternity leave, winning major contracts and wiping the floor with a boorish bloke at the office, laughing off his absurdities with co-worker Becky (Bella Heathcote).’
‘Rather than externalising the threat to First Nations kids posed by white people since invasion, the Moogai is, instead, a distillation of that same poisonous evil that would steal them from their loving parents. A colonising force of destruction so hideous it has torn a hole in the natural order through which creeps this monstrous beast.’
Where to watch: YouTube, Apple TV+ or Prime Video (rent or buy only). Watch the trailer.
10. Flathead
Director: Jaydon Martin
Cast: Cass Cumerford, Andrew Wong
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 89m
In a word: Authentic.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘Without any narration or talking heads to frame their story, Flathead instead treats us to a quietly revelatory work of observation and social realism,’ wrote Silvi Vann-Wall. ‘Its striking black and white colour grade is occasionally interwoven with Cass and Andrew’s own self-videos in full colour, giving us a tapestry of multiple points of view – a poetic work that’s framed by bookending titles about the cost of living crisis and work shortages in Bundaberg, Queensland.’
Where to watch: Flathead is not currently available to steam. Watch the trailer.
9. Left Write Hook
Director: Shannon Owen
Cast: Donna Lyon, Billie Kolbeck
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 98m
In a word: Groundbreaking
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘Adopting a groundbreaking approach informed by her lived experience, Lyon’s work has resulted in a documentary of the same name, which has debuted at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF),’ wrote Stephen Russell. ‘Directed by Shannon Owen, a former support worker in a refuge housing women fleeing domestic violence, it follows Lyon’s intensive program bringing together seven women with very different experiences but a shared legacy of trauma that manifests in diverse ways.’
‘Lyon reinforces their right to be angry, encouraging physical and intellectual catharsis. Full of impossibly generous testimonies, Left Write Hook is both difficult, as fury and despair are writ large across the group’s faces, and incredible to witness the healing power of arming themselves with both boxing gloves and the mighty pens, opening the possibility of healing long thought unachievable.’
Where to watch: Left Write Hook is not currently available to steam. Watch the trailer.
8. How to Make Gravy
Director: Nick Waterman
Cast: Daniel Henshall, Brenton Thwaites, Hugo Weaving
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 117m
In a word: Bittersweet.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘Waterman’s beautifully composed film dismantles Australian masculinity’s more toxic traits in a similar way to Weaving’s spikier role in Mark Leonard Winter’s The Rooster, or his more caring outlook as a bird of prey-handler guiding inmates towards a better life in Craig Monahan’s Healing,’ wrote Stephen Russell. ‘With a stacked cast this magnificent, led by Henshall and Weaving, you’ll feel all the feelings.’
‘Not too schmaltzy, How to Make Gravy is imbued with the larrikin soul of Kelly’s deeply felt ditty, thrumming as it is with it’s complicated life. Boosted by Washington’s original songs and a mesmerising synth score by Samuel Dixon, who’s in high demand by mononymous stars like Kylie, Sia and Adele, it soars thanks to the assembled star’s choir.’
Where to watch: Binge. Watch the trailer.
7. Under Streetlights
Director: Danielle Loy
Cast: Madison Hull, Jacob Harvey
Genre: Drama/Music
Runtime: 90m
In a word: Magical.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘Their music, both individually and together, lifts the film’s energy every time it’s played (both of the leads helped write the soundtrack),’ wrote Anthony Morris. ‘Nobody here’s bursting into song Wicked-style, but they carry their music with them and there’s a number of scenes where their songs – which address their various issues without being too on-the-nose – soundtrack their lives.’
‘There’s a bit of romantic possibility early on (Harvey does an excellent job of reacting when he hears a song from Ella that might suggest her deeper feelings), but the pressures on them don’t leave much room for a Romeo and Juliet scenario. Which is to the film’s benefit: by focusing on their friendship, their creativity remains central.’
Where to watch: Under Streetlights is still playing in select cinemas. Watch the trailer.
6. Inside
Director: Charles Williams
Cast: Guy Pearce, Cosmo Jarvis
Genre: Thriller/Crime
Runtime: 104m
In a word: Hopeful.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Why you should see it: ‘Conveying multitudes in a facial flicker or stolen glance is usually the mark of a seasoned actor. It’s quite the thing to witness this gift commanded by a freshly emerging actor like Vincent Miller,’ wrote Stephen Russell. ‘He brings a wounded frailty and the flinty possibility of violence to the role of Mel Blight in Australian writer/director Charles Williams’ striking feature debut Inside …’
‘There are no small roles here, with impeccably crafted bit parts ranging from the warden who formerly worked in childcare and exasperatedly wisecracks that corralling kids was easier, to the back and forth in the chapel between those there to kill time and those genuinely open to remorseful contemplation.’
Where to watch: Inside will have a national cinema release on 27 February 2025.
5. Memoir of a Snail
Director: Adam Elliott
Cast: Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Genre: Drama/Comedy/Animation
Runtime: 94m
In a word: Tangible
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Why you should see it: ‘Memoir of a Snail is delightful,’ wrote Rochelle Siemienowicz. ‘It’s quirky, funny and emotionally satisfying. Only occasionally does it make the audience suffer with excess pathos and a couple of repetitious beats. But that’s a minor quibble and I’m only including it to show that I haven’t entirely lost my critical faculties.’
‘The loneliness and loss here are huge. Tears. There are a lot of them in Memoir of a Snail. Perhaps too many. (What a marvel to learn that they’re made from glycerine; that water is a mix of clear plastic and sexual lubricant; and raindrops are the bubbles from bubblewrap!) But thankfully, just when you think you can’t stand the darkness and more brimming eyes, in swerves Grace’s new friend, the ancient and irrepressible Pinky, warmly voiced by a lisping Jacki Weaver.’
Where to watch: Memoir of a Snail is still showing in select cinemas. Watch the trailer.
4. Housekeeping for Beginners
Director: Goran Stolevski
Cast: Anamaria Marinca, Alina Serban
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 107m
In a word: Cozy.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Why you should see it: ‘Before long, you’ll want to move in too and throwdown to the glorious tune of Balkan pop bangers this happy chosen family intermittently holler along with.’ Wrote our reviewer Stephen Russell.
‘In the shadow of death, life continues to teem in this tightknit home, illuminated by gifted cinematographer Naum Doksevski as if just another resident in this hectic home.’
Where to watch: Apple TV (rent or buy only). Watch the trailer.
3. In The Room Where He Waits
Director: Timothy Despina Marshall
Cast: Daniel Monks, Susie Porter
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 85m
In a word: Gripping.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘Laden with artistic anxieties on top of a frayed heart, Tobi struggles to grasp his lines and the intricacies of Williams’ text while wrangling with the isolating realities of his position,’ wrote Stephen Russell. ‘Increasingly fearing that he isn’t alone in this room he cannot leave, he’s ensnared by difficult history. Hitting the mini bar hard, his increasingly sweaty, sleep-deprived delirium conjures monstrous suggestions out of little more than darkened doors and the silhouette of hulking security guards.’
‘With not a moment wasted by Marshall’s screenplay, wrought from a story co-conceived with Dimple Rajyaguru and Paradox Delilah, In the Room Where He Waits layers an immense amount of bitter and beautiful truths into its tautly terrifying 83-minute frame as Tobi unravels at dangers real or imagined.’
Where to watch: In The Room Where He Waits is not currently available to steam. Watch the trailer.
2. He Ain’t Heavy
Director: David Vincent Smith
Stars: Leila George, Sam Corlett, Greta Scacchi
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 103m
In a word: Heartbreaking.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘All three leads deliver award-worthy performances,’ wrote out reviewer Tiffany Barton, ‘and Sam Corlett’s is a tour de force, combining demonic behaviour (that echoes Jack Nicholson in The Shining) with raw pain and a vulnerable beauty which shines through in the moments we see him drug free, including an incredibly beautiful, tender scene between the two siblings which had this reviewer in tears.’
‘Impressively, it doesn’t attempt to sugarcoat the story with humour, instead choosing to tell it with a steely-eyed commitment to the truth. There are many humble family moments in the script that combine to tell an epic story of love, transgression, forgiveness and redemption. The climactic scene which begins with a simple candle on a cupcake is utterly heartbreaking.’
Where to watch: Google Play, Apple TV, Prime Video (rent or buy only). Watch the trailer.
1. We Bury The Dead
Director: Zak Hilditch
Cast: Daisy Ridley, Mark Coles Smith
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Runtime: 92m
In a word: Harrowing.
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you should see it: ‘This voyage of the damned, going south, is when We Bury the Dead shows off its scope (and budget),’ wrote Stephen Russell, ‘upending the tourism board image of Tasmania with its stark visuals of livestock rotting in fields, roads choked with arrested traffic, townships in disarray and downed planes littering otherwise pristine beaches.
‘It’s a wow-a-minute crusade with a hint of 28 Days Later, including the questions it raises over who is the most monstrous: the mindless victims of this atrocity, or those just following orders?
‘Mystery Road: Origin lead Mark Coles Smith, a Nyikina man, is also brilliant in the role of Riley, a gravel-voiced and burly soldier who stumbles across them during a zombie attack in a roadside cafe. He’s not best pleased to find them far beyond the boundary line, leading to an intensely stressful sequence set in a remote farmstead.’
Where to watch: We Bury The Dead is expected to have a national cinema release in 2025.
ScreenHub: Best (first watch) films of 2024 as chosen by ScreenHub staff
