Burke and Wills, directed by Matt Zermes and Oliver Torr 2006
Made in 9 days this film stands as a testiment to what one can accomplish with a good script, a little cash, and access to cameras.
Reportedly making a big splash at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, Burke and Wills made its Australian debut at the Sydney Film Festival.
The title plays on the famous Australian explorers Burke and Wills but don't be fooled, this film is not about exploring anything except for a small amount of time in the lives of two roommates. Shot entirely in black and white due to budget and time constraints, the film's simplicity only serves to strengthen the focus of the film.
The film tends to be funny, which was interesting since both Matt and Oliver said that they had no intention of writing a comedic film and were surprised that audiences were reacting the way they were to the film. Originally starting as a theatrical play, they decided to turn the play into a film when they realized they had the budget to tell the story in the manner they wanted to.
Wills is a slacker/free-loader who doesn't seem to have the motivation to even find a part time job. Burke is a quiet fellow, balancing out Matt's tendency to run on with his mouth. As the film progresses the two characters seem to switch roles as Matt becomes more and more responsible, even getting a job (through an absolutely hilarious interview scene to sell mobile phones). Both characters go through their share of relationship problems whether it is with each other or the girls that move in and out of their lives.
After a mostly light hearted ride, the film takes a rather surprisingly dark turn. ***************Warning potential spoiler alert**************************** After the movie Matt and Oliver informed the audience that Burke was schizophrenic. I personally had absolutely no idea that this was the case, and as such some of Burke's story seemed slightly incredulous to me. However, other people in the audience who had had personal experience with schizophrenia stated they felt the portrayel was highly accurate. Any way my enjoyment of the film would have been increased if I had known that going in, but not everyone seems to agree with me on that******************************************************
In the end I felt it was a entertaining film that was much more impressive simply due to the fact they managed to put together such a well done film in 9 days with completely independent financing.
***Three stars
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