Film No. 65 (2015) Cut Snake. September 12th.

Film No. 65 (2015) September 12th.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"How much do you owe him?" (Paula asks her lover, Sparra, the untimate question).

 

  

I'm not sure that there is any better way to promote Cut Snake than via the trailer currently in circulation but it may be that it either makes or breaks the film. My first impressions of this love story with a twist were mixed and I was in two minds as to my enthusiasm for the film. Because I was lucky enough to secure a preview pass (free) I accepted the challenge presented by Cut Snake and I'm glad I did.


Director Tony Ayres is a talented and versatile film maker with directorial and production credits including The Turning and The Slap respectively. He is a discerning artist, he usually takes on quality writing and in this case Blake Ayshford (The Devil's Playground) has presented him with a quality script. Both Ayres and Ayshford have spent much of their time working on television dramas where the written word is all important.


We meet Sparra (Alex Russell) and Paula (Jessica De Gouw) a beautiful young couple, in love and with all of life's challenges before them. That's how taut thrillers often begin. Enter Pommie (Sullivan Stapleton), a major player from Sparra's previous life, a life he has kept to himself. As you can guess, Pommie is larger than life and madder than a cut snake.

Pommie forces his way into the lives of Sparra and Paula, performing small acts of kindness with an undertone of menace, we gradually learn more of intimate facets of Sparra's past life. Pommie creates circumstances which draws a reluctant Sparra back to his former persona. As the film progresses and the menace grows we find that both Sparra and his relationship with Pommie are not what they seem. Other than the clunky, cleched ladened final shot, Ayres creats a taut, tense conclusion. Oh and the array of cars on display to represent Australia in the sixties is stunning.  8GUMS.