As the long list for the 2014 Foreign Language Oscar is culled from 76 to nine, Australia’s entry is dumped in the jungle of broken dreams. The Rocket was made in Laos, in the local language and completely subtitled.
The Rocket was an outside chance, given the extraordinary careers of directors on offer. But some mature festival favourites have gone too. Among those not making the cut were Dana Rotberg’s White Lies and early favourites The Past and Wadjda.
