Oyster Farmers

Having some downtime, I should be catching up on all the errands and stuff around the house that need to get done (e.g., painting the bathroom with the paint from the paint can that has been standing outside the bathroom door since September 2006). Instead, I am catching up on my Netflix DVDs that I have been holding onto for way too long.

I know I'm risking turning this blog into a fansite for the guy but I just finished watching a great little film with Alex O'Loughlin called The Oyster Farmer. I am a fan of small independent films and of films from Australia so this movie fit the bill. Plus, I was curious to see what O'Loughlin was like as an actor when he wasn't playing a vampire detective on TV. (OK, and yes, he is not too hard on the eyes, to boot!)

This was a real gem of a film. At first, I didn't really know what to expect and that is part of what works in this movie. Its charm just creeps up on you slowly. It's the story of this young guy who comes to live in this river community to be close to his sister, who is recuperating in a local hospital after being injured in an accident. He gets work with an oyster farmer in the area but his main objective is to commit a robbery so he can get money to pay for his sister's care. He commits the robbery (using fruit leather, of all things) but then a series of mishaps prevent him from getting the money.

The characters in this movie are all wonderfully idiosyncratic and they create situations that are comic and at the same time, full of deep felt emotion. The story is about making connections, being human, and finding family. And it is all so beautifully and subtly portrayed through the acting and the director's vision.

I also am now firmly in the camp of admirers of O'Loughlin's abilities as an actor. His character, Jack Flange, comes across at times as bit of a rough, unfeeling bloke but O'Loughlin slowly reveals the vulnerability that Jack strives to keep hidden especially when it comes to his concern for his sister. He is also great at playing comedy (loved the scenes with the dog and the poisonous remote control). And as to his ability to emanate sexual intensity, I can only say that I found his scene with Kerry Armstrong to be incredibly erotic (in fact, much more erotic than the scene where he pretty much strips naked--just threw that in for those who don't appreciate the "less is more" approach to sensuality). I'd say what I appreciate overall about his acting in this film is that it is very subtle, almost as if it all came so naturally and was not the result of any sort of learned technique.

Movies like The Oyster Farmer and Juno are really why I am such a film lover. You can pretty much keep your blockbuster or big spectacle film. I'm looking for films like these that take slices of ordinary life and turn them into something unique and magical.