At the opening of the The drought, The latest thrush at Roadshow Films by Eric Bana, Genevieve O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell and a team of emerging young actors was immediately inspired. As a farmer’s daughter, depressing memories of heart thirst began to flow back. My stomach turned, I was suddenly emotional. However, completely captured for the next 117 minutes.
Adapted from the famous Jane Harper novel of the same name, The drought follows Federal Police officer Aaron Falk (played by Eric Bana), who returns to town after 20 years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, who said he murdered his wife and child before taking her own life. Suffering from the rage that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought. Falk stays to investigate the crime, but his presence reveals old wounds.
“It’s a real challenge to make a mystery, I had never worked in that genre before, it’s not a genre that Australian cinema often does,” says Director Robert Connolly. tell GRAZIA.
Video editing: Kimberlee Kessler
The film takes place in the Wimmera Region, Victoria, where it was produced in early 2019 to break. As a result, the added perspective and tension from the storyline was further overshadowed by the hard terrain; his own character. The director tells me that water was being brought into the towns where there was a crew and a crew. And often, according to thrower members, the set was decorated with deceptive and lush green plants to mark flashback scenes.
“It literally felt like it wouldn’t rain again”, says Bana. “It was so dry and hot out there.”
For Bana – best known for his roles in Hulk and Dirty John – this was his first Australian production in 12 years, a return home not just for his character but for himself. “I forgot that he could go to work without a 20-hour flight. I envied those actors, British and American, who never have to make accents all their careers. Playing in Australia didn’t even feel like a real job. ”
Speaking of the film’s themes, Connolly reiterates this idea. “What happens when you leave somewhere and what happens when you stay somewhere? We have so many who choose to leave … for many people they live and I think those are the big issues of the world where people move around and the journey we are on. going. ”
Narrated by Jane Harper’s novel, the audience is taken through a high-octane ‘who-dunnit’ plot, where the characters – as well as the thirsty and bushfire challenges – come against past mistakes and new consequences. Speaking of Claude Scott-Mitchell, Sam Corlett, Keir O’Donnell, Genevieve O’Reilly and Bebe Bettencourt, the film has made the team think about the past.
We ask the question: what would you say to your youngest person if you had the chance?
O’Reilly who has appeared in major such barriers Rogue One: The Story of Star Wars, The Matrix has been reloaded and in front of Gretchen entered The drought, he had a simple response: “Stay true to yourself.” Scott-Mitchell, who plays the ‘Young Gretchen’ and is at the height of her acting course, told GRAZIA that she would say to herself at a younger age, ‘dare… you will always learn something from that. ”
And as for who committed the crime in question, well, the team has an opinion on that as well. Or (we also recommend) watching The drought in cinemas from 1 January.