My Review - Nitram
My Rating 6 /10
A film which is disturbing to me more for the fact it was made at all even though the name of the murderous psychotic responsible for the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania is never mentioned just his nickname "Nitram." which is Martin spelled backwards.
However when I read that Director Justin Kurzel said when asked about the reason he made the movie 'I didn't realise that the reforms (implemented after the Port Arthur Massacre) were softened. I wasn't aware that there have been active cases of gun lobbyists trying to change those reforms. Or that there are more guns in Australia now than in 1996. I kept thinking, should we talk about that day? Should we have a discussion and conversation about it? I felt as though I had to make it.' The film seems to be an attempt to understand why and how the atrocity occurred but while so many families and friends of the 35 people murdered and 25 people injured by this crazed killer are still suffering their loss I feel there could be no understanding of the killer or reasons for his motives and a movie risks promoting his notoriety and infamous place in Australian history.
Isn't it kinder to leave the understanding and research of the criminal mind to the criminal psychologists and researchers to perhaps try and prevent further horrific duplications?
Saying that as a film it has an excellent cast headed by Caleb Landry Jones as Nitram a socially disconnected and isolated misfit living with very odd parents played by Judy Davis and Anthony LaPaglia .
He has a relationship of sorts with a wealthy eccentric loner a much older woman Helen played by the wonderful Essie Davis and moves in with her and her collection of mongrel dogs.
No spoilers but I was very grateful the cameras stop just before that evil act at Port Arthur and the end credits do display the incredible state of affairs about gun ownership in Australia while no where near as bad as America the fact that there are more guns in Australia today than in 1996 is a chilling reminder that if they end up in the wrong hands they could lead to another useless pointless act of carnage.
My Rating 6 /10
A film which is disturbing to me more for the fact it was made at all even though the name of the murderous psychotic responsible for the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania is never mentioned just his nickname "Nitram." which is Martin spelled backwards.
However when I read that Director Justin Kurzel said when asked about the reason he made the movie 'I didn't realise that the reforms (implemented after the Port Arthur Massacre) were softened. I wasn't aware that there have been active cases of gun lobbyists trying to change those reforms. Or that there are more guns in Australia now than in 1996. I kept thinking, should we talk about that day? Should we have a discussion and conversation about it? I felt as though I had to make it.' The film seems to be an attempt to understand why and how the atrocity occurred but while so many families and friends of the 35 people murdered and 25 people injured by this crazed killer are still suffering their loss I feel there could be no understanding of the killer or reasons for his motives and a movie risks promoting his notoriety and infamous place in Australian history.
Isn't it kinder to leave the understanding and research of the criminal mind to the criminal psychologists and researchers to perhaps try and prevent further horrific duplications?
Saying that as a film it has an excellent cast headed by Caleb Landry Jones as Nitram a socially disconnected and isolated misfit living with very odd parents played by Judy Davis and Anthony LaPaglia .
He has a relationship of sorts with a wealthy eccentric loner a much older woman Helen played by the wonderful Essie Davis and moves in with her and her collection of mongrel dogs.
No spoilers but I was very grateful the cameras stop just before that evil act at Port Arthur and the end credits do display the incredible state of affairs about gun ownership in Australia while no where near as bad as America the fact that there are more guns in Australia today than in 1996 is a chilling reminder that if they end up in the wrong hands they could lead to another useless pointless act of carnage.