Oliver Torr (left, the lovely chap that he is) and Matt Zeremes are the directors, actors, writers and producers of this explosive, and sometimes painful, film. Burke & Wills was shot in only nine days in Sydney, in black and white and on a $20,000 budget. The entire film was improvised and to quote Oliver Torr the uncompromising editing made the film. Burke & Wills was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and has since been included in festivals in Sydney and Brisbane. The lovely folk at Filmink have released it at Kino Dendy for a very short time (read: see it now before it disappears).
The film is timely, fresh and cutting. Burke and Wills are presented to us as the people they really are. Warts and all. Burke, slightly mysterious and introverted and Wills, simple and mindless but incredibly endearing. I find that the plot is ultimately irrelevant in this film-yes there are problems, girls, beers, jobs, jokes and mobile phone dealers-but in the end none of them seem to matter. What matters is Burke and Wills.
I mentioned at the top of this review that I found the film to be painful at times. That is because everything it represents I know exists. And I have not yet found a film that has affected me so much, that has presented suburban life, relationships and male friendships in such a realistic manner. The film draws you in, slowly and quietly, and ends in a shudder.
Torr and Zeremes have worked incredibly hard to produce a film that should be seen by every Australian. Unfortunately, most Australians wont. Don't be one of them.
Any Melbourneites wanting to check out the all original soundtrack should head down to The Empress Hotel in Fitzroy on Friday August 10 at 9pm, where humansixbillion will be playing some soundtrack tunes.
Written by Sandi Tighello
