The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Movies
  • Books
  • TV
  • Gaming
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
Movies 0

Blueback Review

By Dave Griffiths @goodbaduglyshow · On January 6, 2023

The Gist

When a marine biologist has to rush to her mother’s side after a stroke she relives the memories of how it was her mother that began her love affair with the ocean.

The Review

My love affair with the work of Australian author Tim Winton began way back in my first year in High School. My Year 7 English teacher introduced us to Lochie Leonard and the rest as they say is history. Up until that point I had always read young adult novels written by Americans and the English – but suddenly I was reading something that was very Aussie where a cop car was called a paddy wagon and the main character played Aussie Rules instead of soccer or gridiron.

From there my love of Winton’s work grew and grew. Being a coastal/country kid meant I had an even deeper understanding of the themes in Winton’s work and even today whenever I am travelling overseas I take a Tim Winton novel with me to read – call my crazy but it always feels like I am taking a small piece of Australia with me when I do so.

Of course Winton’s writing has easily transferred into the film adaptions of his novels as well. Sit down and watch Breath or The Turning and there is always something uniquely Australian about those films and that is certainly the case with director Robert Connolly’s (The Dry) adaption of Blueback. The mere fact that I even get to say that is like a joyous occasion for me because Connolly is one of my favourite filmmakers so him directing Winton’s work feels like a marriage in heaven for me.

Blueback tells the story of Abby (Mia Wasikowska – Alice In Wonderland) a marine biologist determined to do what she can to protect Australia’s waterways. But while she is investigating what is causing a reef to bleach she receives a call to return back to Western Australia because her mother has had a stroke.

As Abby tries desperately to get her mother to remember her past and to speak again the audience is taken on a journey with where young Abby (Ariel Donoghue – Wolf Like Me) and teenage Abby (newcomer Ilsa Fogg) are introduced to the beauty of Australia’s oceans by her mother Dora (Radha Mitchell – Silent Hill).

After the death of her pearl-diving husband Dora has started a campaign to save the Bay that she calls home. Whether that means checking in on the local abalone fisherman (Eric Bana – The Dry) to make sure he isn’t over-fishing or taking on a local developer (Erik Thomson – Somersault) who wants to destroy the bay there is no fight to big for her.

Dora’s love for the ocean is soon handed down to Abby, especially after she discovers a Blue Groper she decides to call Blueback, but there is still tension between mother and daughter especially around what it means to be an activist and Abby wanting to leave the Bay to further her studies.

I found Blueback to be one of those uniquely Australian storiesthat I mentioned earlier that Winton is famous for. Only a person that has spent time along Australia’s coastline could come up with a film like Blueback that genuinely brings the love of coastal creatures and the coastal lifestyle to the big screen. Perhaps the biggest sign that both Winton and Connolly were serious about making this a natural film is that they didn’t take the Hollywood path and decide to make ‘Blueback’ a whale or a dolphin. Let’s be honest a Blue Groper is not the most visually beautiful creature yet somehow together these two men make the relationship between a teenager girl and Blueback the central piece to a film that has a much deeper meaning.

Hidden away between the environmental storyline and the stunningly beautiful way in which cinematographers Andrew Commis (Babyteeth) and Rick Rifici (Breath) capture the Australian coastline is a coming of age story about finding your own identity. Abby’s story here is one that I found to be deeply meaningful and at times painful. Her love affair with the ocean doesn’t just come about because her mother also loved it it becomes part of her way to escape the pain of what happened to her father and it becomes a way that she can bond with the boy that she likes – Briggs (Clarence Ryan – Cleverman).

Like I said earlier the tale told here is uniquely Australian but if you replace the ocean with any other kind of passion – art, sport etc – and Abby’s story becomes a universal one. The key element to this story is that Dora doesn’t think that Abby loves the ocean the same way she does because she is willing to leave it – what she doesn’t understand that she needs to leave it for awhile in a bid to eventually save it. We have all been in those situations where a parent doesn’t understand our motivations or goals so this at the end of the day is a film that most people should be able to identify with.

When it comes to the performances in this film Radha Mitchell is brilliant. Her natural ability to become a character works well here and some of her more touching scenes with Mia Wasikowska are truly memorable. Credit must also be paid to Eric Bana who takes on a much smaller role in this film than he normally would – even so he is a stand out as one of the film’s more memborable characters – while young star Ilsa Fogg simply must come to the attention of some of the voters for film awards come Australian film award season. She has a huge career ahead of her.

The Verdict

As usual I have found myself deeply impressed by a Robert Connolly film. His body of work must certainly mean that he is one of our country’s most important filmmakers and Blueback goes to show that he can even make what is pretty much a family film a must see. Maybe I am biased because of my love for Winton and Connolly’s work in general but I completely fell in love with this film.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Related

Blueback Review
Dave Griffiths
January 6, 2023
3.5/10
3.5 Overall Score

Andrew CommisAriel DonoghueBluebackClarence RyanEric BanaErik ThomsonMia WasikowskaRadha MitchellRick RificiRobert Connolly
Share Tweet

Dave Griffiths

Dave Griffiths has worked as a journalist for over twenty years now -covering topics including film, television, music, travel and sport (with a main focus on AFL Football). That time has seen him host the popular X-Wired television program for seven seasons as well as write for various magazines such as Buzz Magazine, Heavy Mag, Stage Whispers, The Banner and Eternity.. He has even branched out into writing online for Subculture Entertainment, Media Search and The Book The Film The T-Shirt. He also worked as the online editor for Entertainment 360 for three years. Dave's radio work has seen him work on various radio stations including 3RPP, Triple R and Light FM. He is currently the resident film reviewer on Sydney's 2UE radio station and can be heard reviewing what is new at cinemas and on DVD each week on Wednesdays at 3pm with Ed Phillips. He is also the co-host of Melbourne's 94.1FM's breakfast show 'The Motley Crew' and he can sometimes be heard on J-Air's 'First On Film'. David is also the co-host of two popular podcasts - ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Film Show,' and 'The Popcorn Conspiracy' As far as Film Reviewing goes David is an elected committee member of AFCA (Australian Film Critics Association and a member of IPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics)/FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique). He has also served as a jury member for a number of international film festivals and is considered an expert on cult cinema, horror movies and Australian films.

You Might Also Like

  • Movies

    CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD Review

  • Movies

    UNTIL DAWN Review

  • Movies

    HINDI VINDI Review

No Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe & Follow

Follow @thebookthefilm
Follow on Instagram
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • Tags
  • The Rise of Lockdown Streaming

    May 3, 2020
  • Salvo (2014)

    September 27, 2014
  • Penny Dreadful S1 EP 3 ‘Resurrection’ & EP 4 ‘Demimonde’ Review

    June 22, 2014
  • Pet Movie

    Spoiler Alert – Top 5 Horror Movie Twists

    March 17, 2017
  • warner bros. for her dvd collection

    Christmas Gift Guide: For Her – Heart Warming DVDs

    December 14, 2016
  • Win a copy of The Apartment on Limited Edition Blu-ray Courtesy of Arrow Academy

    December 23, 2017
David Griffiths marvel Ben Affleck J.K. Simmons Amy Adams Jai Courtney Lee Griffiths Hugh Jackman Chris pratt Scarlett Johansson Jason Clarke Daniel Craig Emilia Clarke Henry Cavill benedict cumberbatch Sky Atlantic Liam Neeson Ralph Fiennes
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure

ABOUT

Over opinionated and online. The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt was created for lovers of entertainment everywhere. We hope you enjoy it. Don't feed the writers after midnight.

Latest News

  • 3.5

    CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD Review

    May 11, 2025
  • 2.5

    UNTIL DAWN Review

    May 10, 2025
  • 3

    HINDI VINDI Review

    May 10, 2025

SEARCH THE SITE

HIBS100 Index of Home and Interior Blogs
HIBS100

© 2016 Last Exit to Hollywood Media Limited. All rightsreserved. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”