Whether you’re in the mood for drama, documentary, comedy or short film, these four award-winning Australian films are worth your time. They’re all available on Netflix now.
The Black Balloon (2008)
The tagline: Adjusting to a new home and new school, a teen boy finds fitting in more challenging when he’s put in charge of his autistic brother.
The director: First time feature director Elissa Down co-wrote the script with Jimmy Jack (aka ‘Jimmy the Exploder’) and based it on her own experience of growing up with an autistic brother.
The stars: Rhys Wakefield stars as Thomas, the teen boy embarrassed by his unconventional but very loving family, which includes autistic brother Charlie (Luke Ford). The parents are played by Toni Collette and Erik Thomson, and Gemma Ward is the girl next door who’s caught his interest.
Critics and competitions: The Black Balloon had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival where it won a Crystal Bear in the Generation 14-plus category. The film swept the 2008 AFI Awards, winning Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay (among others). On Rotten Tomatoes, the film is 85% fresh, with the consensus being that it’s tender and witty, and heartfelt without being schmaltzy – a fine line to walk.
Watch this if … You wish Toni Collette and Erik Thomson could play your mum and dad, or you’re nostalgic for early 1990s Perth suburbia.
Read: ABC iview – stream these three hidden gems now
Mountain (2017)
The tagline: A feature documentary exploring high peaks around the world, while telling of the relationship between humans and mountains across time. A cinematic and musical collaboration between acclaimed director Jen Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, shot by the world’s best adventure cinematographers and written by best-selling author Robert Macfarlane.
The director: BAFTA-winning Australian documentary director and producer Jen Peedom is known for Sherpa (2015), Solo (2009), and River (2021). Peedom is co-founder, with producer Jo-Anne McGowan, of film production company Stranger Than Fiction.
The stars: Apart from the mountains themselves, the cinematography by American mountaineer and photographer Renan Ozturk is the star, along with the music by the ACO. Mountain is also narrated by Willem Dafoe.
Critics and competitions: Mountain won three AACTA Awards for its cinematography, score and sound design. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film’s approval rating is 88% fresh, with critics agreeing it’s visually thrilling and emotionally affecting. In Sight & Sound, Michael Hale wrote: ‘While the film takes an unequivocally romantic approach to mountains, it doesn’t shy away from casting a critical eye on the colonial thinking that underpinned early mountaineering exploits and that continues in a different form today.’
Watch this if … you crave some elevation and an escape into nature.
Last Cab to Darwin (2015)
The tagline: Dying of cancer, taxi driver Rex discovers surprise reserves of vitality as he road-trips through the Outback on his way to his assisted suicide.
The director: Jeremy Sims directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Reg Cribb, who wrote the 2003 play of the same name.
The stars: Michael Caton, Ningali Lawford, Mark Coles Smith, Emma Hamilton, Jacki Weaver.
Critics and competitions: Last Cab to Darwin won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor (Michael Caton) at the 5th AACTA Awards. On Rotten Tomatoes the film is 89% fresh. David Lewis of the San Francisco Chronicle said it ‘takes a tough subject and amiably rides it out into the Outback sunset. It’s a wry film that remains upbeat without betraying its rough-around-the-edges characters.’
Watch this because ... It’s heartwarming, honest and well-performed. Last Cab to Darwin was a surprise box office hit for a reason – rather than being a depressing, it’s life-affirming.
Beautiful They (2021)
Tagline: After a chance encounter, two young strangers spend the afternoon together and find refuge in each other’s acceptance in this queer romance. A short film (10m).
The director: Cloudy Rhodes is a trans non-binary director and writer producing work that celebrates gender fluidity and uplifting queer narratives. Beautiful They had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival’s 20th anniversary edition. Rhodes’s debut short film Lo Loves You premiered on i-D and was picked up by Arcadia Films, and their other short works include Deluge, which premiered at Sydney Film Festival 2019, and video work New Masc, which was made as part of the Prototype Video Art Collective and screened at major art institutes.
The stars: Morgan Davies, Sariah Saibu.
Critics and competitions: Among its many awards, Beautiful They won the Australian Director’s Guild Best Short Film (2021), Queer Screen Mardi Gras Best Film (2022) and Best Australian Short Film at MQFF 2022.
Why watch this? Beautiful They is a dreamy, intimate, warm and romantic surf romance, with a gorgeous synth score. And it’s so short – a chance to sample one of Australia’s distinctive new talents without committing a whole evening.
