If you think movies about Australia are limited to just “Crocodile Dundee” and anything staring a kangaroo, think again! While Hollywood tends to bastardize the culture of Australia in order that movie-goers can understand the premise without having to learn anything, movies made in Australia present audiences with a realistic look at the land down under, and all without having to throw a “shrimp on the barby!” To put it simply, American movies about Australia are like Fosters Beer; inauthentic! Movies made in Australia, by Australians are like a tall VB; real and refreshing!
Back in the summer of 2005, I read about an Australian foreign film in the New York Times called “Oyster Farmer”. At the time, I had developed a real fascination with Australian culture, and I had to check out this movie for myself. I went to an afternoon showing of it at the Quad Cinema in lower Manhattan. Little did I know what I was in for. The film...