AMY
SYNOPSIS:
Eight year old Amy (Alana de Roma) can’t hear or speak; she’s
been like this for three years, since her rock star dad, Will,
was electrocuted in front of her eyes in a horrific on-stage
accident during a storm-drenched concert. Her mother Tanya
(Rachel Griffiths) is hassled by well-meaning welfare officers,
who nevertheless prompt her to disappear from her father’s
remote, country cottage, for the anonymity of the big city. Here,
in a grotty inner city street peopled with an odd assortment of
neighbours, Tanya and Amy try to find a new life. Every doctor
and every specialist has declared Amy physically perfect, yet Amy
remains silent. . . until one of the neighbours, guitar-playing
songwriter Robert (Ben Mendelsohn) discovers that there is indeed
a way to communicate with Amy. Eventually, Amy’s terrible
trauma is unearthed, thanks to the power of music.
“Highly original and loaded to the brim with charm, Amy
cleverly combines genres resulting in a delightful story
punctuated by humour, drama and comedy. Above all, it’s a
story about communication - through music, violence, laughter and
love. Tass and Parker make a great team, and the unity of
thought, vision and image is evident. There are just a few holes
in the plot, but it’s easy to forgive and overlook them
because of the film’s big heart. Parker has created an
interesting mix of wonderfully absurd and eccentric characters,
interwoven with very real and believable ones. It’s easy to
engage with all of them. It’s a strong cast: Rachael
Griffiths has never been better, while Ben Mendelsohn has great
presence. But there are a lot of special mentions. Kerry
Armstrong, Torquil Neilson and Frank Gallacher are terrific and I
especially like Susie Porter’s off-the-wall character - the
hair obsessed, paranoid gal, who is out to kill the hairdresser.
(Aren’t we all?) Parker must have had a lot of fun thinking
up that character. Jeremy Trigatti, a 16 year old student, is
outstanding as Zac, the teen neighbour who is traumatised by the
domestic violence between his parents. But the shining star is
Alana De Roma, the eight year old with liquid chocolate eyes who
sings like an angel and jolts the heartstrings. Amy is a story of
friendship, love and discovery with moments of genuine cinema
magic, that will make you laugh, shed a tear and enjoy a little
escapism all at once.”
Louise Keller
“A genuinely uplifting and memorable film, Amy has
everything you could want from a movie experience; a script that
is at once involving, moving and funny, outstanding performances,
complex characters and great production values. As Louise says,
there are a couple of little holes, but nothing damaging. The
essence of the story relies on the psychological damage referred
to clinically as post traumatic stress disorder, but the impact
of the story relies on the quality of filmmaking – which is
exemplary. Not only is the structure dramatically satisfying,
revelations teased out for best effect, but the support
characters and side-plots are all valuable additions to the mood
and feel. Susie Porter’s oddball sister to Mendelsohn’s
restrained, astutely judged Robert is a standout, as is Frank
Gallacher’s small but thoroughly enjoyable turn as a good
doctor. I agree with Louise about young Jeremy Trigatti, too, a
natural young actor whose fortune would be sealed with this
outing if this were a Hollywood movie. (It still might be….)
Griffiths, while making her character a tad too unsympathetic for
much of the film, shows her power here, and Alana de Roma is as
exciting a find as Shirley Temple must have been (although her
voice is more like a young Judy Garland). The flashbacks of the
rock concert are stunning, the production design excellent and
the music – including stuff that Mendelsohn gets to strum
– first rate.”
Andrew L. Urban
“Amy is a film about childhood, loss, music and
motherhood, all packaged together in a variety of beautifully
enveloped styles. This could have been a disaster, but writer
David Parker has treaded very carefully, giving audiences a
credible glimpse into an astonishing young character. As Amy
begins to open her feelings, her world goes from darkness to
light, from silence to music, and it all seems a natural
progression. Amy, under the imaginative and assured direction of
the remarkable Nadia Tass, is both emotive and funny, one that
gives us a complete arc in this character's life, exposing
audiences to some profound themes without hammering them. Here is
a wise yet exhilarating journey into childhood, a detailed
exploration of grief and music that all blends together
perfectly. Tass, a true actor's director, adds breadth and scope
to Parker's characters through her adeptness at casting and
working well with her actors. Newcomer Alana De Roma is a
revelation, a child with the maturity to convey the complexities
of her pent-up emotional struggle to come to terms with her
father's death. She also sings in the film, with the voice of an
angel. It's a sublime piece of work. Not since Muriel's Wedding
has Rachel Griffiths had so much to work with as she does here,
and she is superb, conveying the angry, protective,
soul-searching mother, with rich and detailed clarity. Ben
Mendelsohn, too, is at his best as the caring musician. There's a
scene-stealing performance by Susie Porter as Mendelsohn's kooky
sister seeking revenge on her hairdresser. There is a mystical,
fairy tale quality about Amy, yet it all seems very grounded and
honest at the same time, a rare combination but one that works.
Charming, funny, imaginative and deeply human, Amy is a shining
gem of a film, an irresistible entertainment that deserves a wide
audience.”
Paul Fischer
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See Andrew L. Urban's ON SET VISIT
CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 3
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 0



AMY (PG)
(Australia)
CAST: Rachel Griffiths, Ben Mendelsohn, Alana De Roma, Nick
Barker, Kerry Armstrong, Jeremy Trigatti, William Zappa, Torquil
Neilson, Sullivan Stapleton, Mary Ward, Susie Porter, Frank
Gallacher, Jan Fridl, Malcolm Kennard
DIRECTOR: Nadia Tass
PRODUCER: Nadia Tass, David Parker
SCRIPT: David Parker
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Parker
EDITOR: Bill Murphy
MUSIC: Phillip Judd - composer (Music recorded at Dickhead
Studios)
COSTUME DESIGNER: Christiana Plitzco
SOUND DESIGNER; Dean Gawen
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Jon Dowding
RUNNING TIME: 104 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: August 27, 1998
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