This film should certainly help in that ongoing fight. Mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana love that Blueback delivers a passionate message about friendship and the beauty of the worlds oceans. you be a fool to discuss such ideas. 37, the Fremantle-based author has always been an enigmatic figure in Ozlit. Longboat Bay is like a paradise because of the crystal clear water, the way that the sun is always up and the different and the unique types of fish that are there. When acclaimed Western Australian author Tim Winton first wrote the novella Blueback, it was at a time in his life when the fragility of the worlds oceans hit him hard. If there's something ahead that faith against the current in the least religious country in the world has been Read more. idyllic childhood, a strong matriarchal figure, deeply-held values amid a If three hours of the new Avatar is more than you can stand, you might find this fable of family and the ocean far more to your taste. An inspiring story for the whole family, Tim Winton's best-selling novel comes to life on the big screen. Blueback was originally conceived as an animated film due to the "state of CGI technology" in the late 1990s, and the risks of having "a big, wild fish" in the water with children. And so seeing the film for the first time is like being a normal audience member, but I really love working with young actresses, the young cast were fantastic. Blueback is an adaptation of a novel from best-seller Tim Winton (The Turning). The news brings her back to Longboat Bay, the tiny cove off Ningaloo where shes been brought up, and the memories take over. Until the day he meets Blueback, the fish that changes his life. His reviews and interviews with TV and film personalities have appeared in USA Today Network, Huffington Post, The Advocate, and other media outlets. . ", Blueback is subtitled "a fable for all ages", a marketing Over time, he has mellowed a little - he's just returned from a three-month . Blueback was shot on location in Australia's pristine Bremer Bay, a picturesque locale with crystal clear turquoise water and sublime ocean views. The plot is driven by just one desire an overwhelming urge to save the wonders of the marine world from climate change and over-fishing. Blueback was originally conceived as an animated film due to the state of CGI technology in the late 1990s, and the risks of having a big, wild fish in the water with children. childhood once available to us. He was particularly surprised by the American interest. Blueback is an achingly beautiful story about family, belonging and living a life in tune with the environment, from Tim Winton, one of Australia's best-loved authors.. Abel Jackson lives with his mother, Dora, at Longboat Bay, an isolated stretch of coast whose waters teem with fish. While Abel is away his motherfearlesslyfights off thesemenand makes the bay a national park tofinallyprotect Blueback and the bay from danger. It's just him and his mother in the house at Longboat Bay, but Abel has friends . This is the most time weve spent on camera together, right now! At eight, shes already mastered the art of free diving. 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In terms of how it pushed me personally, I got to do a crash course in scuba diving, which I'd never done before. (A screen adaptation starring Mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana is slated to hit cinemas in January). Probably towards the end of this year would be a rough guess. Despite being a fish, rather than a person, Blueback is very much a key character in the novel. Like the groper, which will spend its life in one place if it can, Dora is devoting her life to the welfare of her own home. And otherwise, the goal feels like its its not as achievable. The most successful was Breath (2017), a coming-of-age story which united Wintons passion for the sea with a poignant examination of the emotional damage casually inflicted on two teenagers by a pair of charismatic but unthinking adults. Bana and Wasikowska hadnt seen a Blue Groper prior to filming, in fact. He had just completed his recently-published Lockie Leonard ms, and sat down to "scribble some notes on a yarn that had half-formed in my head". Were working to restore it. Blueback, from Quiver Distribution and Roadshow Films, is a co-production of Screen Australia, Screenwest, West Australian Regional Film Fund, Film Victoria, HanWay Films, Pick Up Truck Pictures, Soundfirm, and Arenamedia, hits theaters March 3. After the ambition of It's not like we've taken characters from the city and put them into this particular world, and it's how they respond to it. We have an seductions of fame. It won and Winton has never looked back, Blueback opens theatrically in wide release on March 3 and Blueback Quiver Distribution will also release the film on demand on April 21. Mon 21 - Sun 27 Nov at Lotterywest Films, from $17 - $20. Mia Wasikowska: Yeah, Blueback is quite a classic here in Australia. But it's just a whole other way of seeing the ocean, and it made it less scary, I guess, in some strange way, to really be immersed in it.. We also wanted the audience to see the actors jump off boats and swim 20 metres down. With Robert Connolly's most recent film The Dry fast approaching $20 million at the . Blueback was shot on location in Australias pristine Bremer Bay, a picturesque locale with crystal clear turquoise water and sublime ocean views. On land, Connollys touch isnt so sure. I mean, I feel like this book was written 30 years ago, I might be wrong with that, but I think it was written 30 years ago. My Year 7 English teacher introduced us to Lochie Leonard and the rest as they say is history. The film crew on location at Bremer Bay in Western Australia. A powerful story for generations opens our 2023 season of films under the stars. Winton: an affable, plain-speaking man of unaffected intelligence and deep Mia Wasikowska: Thats true. Eric Bana: Yeah, I have to recommend Blueback today. Overview : Blueback is an environmental novel for children and young adults. They do this by: Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips. And I just knew something wasn't right.". Your support will help us continue the important work of InReview in publishing free professional journalism that celebrates, interrogates and amplifies arts and culture in South Australia. There was almost no rewriting, it just came out formed.". When Abel first meets Blueback, Winton writes he was 'the biggest fish he had ever seen. In one of the most moving scenes of Winton's 1997 novel Blueback, the protagonist Abel cradles his ageing mum in the water that she loves. This film is more single-minded. If we change our ways, small or big, we can all collectively impact the environment. Winton spent so many years trying to find a way to finish the story, that some of his children had never seen him working on a different book. BLUEBACK Review January 5, 2023 Written by Dave Griffiths My love affair with the work of Australian author Tim Winton began way back in my first year in High School. Blueback intertwines three decades in the lives of mother and daughter Abby and Dora. disconcerting. In Blueback, Abby takes her passion and makes a career out of it, she added. And the messaging is very subtle, very organic. I have some ideals, even if these days , Exclusive: Blueback's Mia Wasikowska and Eric Bana Open Up About Their Heartwarming New Film, Two Planned DCU Projects Remain a Mystery, Including James Gunn's Favorite, 10 Gut-Wrenching Movies That Are Too Sad to Rewatch, The Little Mermaid's Live-Action Sebastian Design Revealed in Merchandise - and Continues a Disappointing Disney Trend. It's an unlikely story for any author, and would have been unimaginable for a young Tim, who decided at 10 years old that he was going to be a writer. So getting in was a bit of an ordeal. It's a beautiful piece of old school craft. Mass Market Paperback - 22 December 2008. give only this print interview. When I look back and see how hard I worked when I He would have discovered an unpretentious But once we were there, we were working on a normal film. I also feel the universality of it is beyond gender. The fish has a profound impact on Abel and Nora's lives. Only the fishs eyes were CGI. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Expands the canon of coastal Aussie pictures: Blueback is in cinemas from 1 January. "And I don't think it's worth going mad over, or tormenting your family.". Nor is there anything surprising in the fact that his workers are a callous bunch with a taste for illegal spearfishing. For Blueback, he agreed to Blueback Tim Winton 3.93 3,094 ratings285 reviews From the author of the bestselling novel The Riders comes a bewitching fable sure to delight readers of all ages. Blueback by Tim Winton - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. 'We are not the same, that's why you not understand': An interview with a mother accused of a terrible crime, 'I just sit here and chill now': Tasha used to hide in her tent when pedestrians passed by, Man shot dead outside martial arts gym in Sydney's west, 'At what point do you put people's lives at risk? paid $50,000 for second books ", That's the professional shaking his head in disbelief. However, the filmmakers didnt want little kids coming face-to-face with big creatures. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/tim-winton-blueback-ningaloo-and-40-years-of-writing/101297058, Get breaking news alerts directly to your phone with our app, Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article. At 21 he won the Vogel's Literary Award for his first book, An Open Swimmer. "One area is the environment, in giving up certain liberties to deliver I liked this film immensely. Uploaded by Carys Arnold. environment everything is about balancing the books, of looking after We shot in the middle of the pandemic when it felt like any sort of travel was not really allowed, explained Wasikowska. GREG ARCHER is a pop culture junkie. "I've had a great experience working with Tim in the past, and his work, and I feel like this is a novella he wrote over 20 years ago that remains on the school syllabus around Australia and lends itself wonderfully to a screen adaptation," the director said. Later, an older Dora who has suffered a stroke is played in a smaller and more limited role by Liz Alexander. I never saw one before, but its incredible how old they can live, shared Bana. something to the future, to define limits on what we'll exploit and how we'll I just wish the action above the water line was as mesmerising. The film could be described as unflinchingly earnest but in a good way, because its not often these days youll find a movie that doesnt have a cynical bone in its body. Actually, we already know thats not going to happen. An old-fashioned feelgood film that wears its heart on its sleeve, Blueback releases in select theaters, as well as on digital and on-demand, this coming Friday. But then I've always hated the idea I wanted the actors to do their own swimming rather than stunt people. Blueback is a story about a young boy called Abel who lives in a bay called Longboat. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning. Blueback is a 2022 Australian drama film directed by Robert Connolly, from a screenplay written by Connolly and Tim Winton, based on Winton's 1997 novel of the same name.The film centres on a young girl who befriends a wild blue groper while diving, and becomes a passionate activist for protecting the ecosystem of Australia's coral reefs from destruction. And what that meant was there was a process getting in, but once we were there, they were COVID free at that time. 4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read with solid message. I feel like everything that is being explored here has been relevant for a really long time. Interestingly, in southern Australia, the Western Blue Groper is the largest carnivorous bony fish species found living on reefs. secular cesspool, environmentalism. Blueback is loosely based on Booker Prize nominee Tim Winton's critically acclaimed novella of the same name. Starring Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Crimson Peak), Eric Bana (The Dry, Dirty John), Radha Mitchell (London Has Fallen, Pitch Black), Liz Alexander (The Secret She Keeps), and newcomers Ariel Donoghue, Ilsa Fogg, and Albert Mwangi, Blueback is a coming-of-age story, through and through. While diving, Abby forms a bond with a. It seems somewhat simplistic, but I think its the way to go, and I think people relate to that. ourselves. A Western Blue Groper christened Blueback is star of the film based on Tim Wintons book.Credit:SMH. I hope Blueback inspires people to contribute positively to our world. Blueback is about people learning from nature.' (Source: Trove) Exhibitions A career in the arts was a radical aspiration. It asks us, without ever lecturing, how it is we have designed a world so completely insane, that the concept of "money" is somehow worth more to us than the actual water, air and land that keeps us all alive. The latest film from The Dry director Robert Connolly, starring Mia Wasikowska . Mia Wasikowska: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, its one of the great things about when you really come in and do a supporting role is you dont get to see the rest of the film. The training of the cast was so critical. There, protagonist Bruce "Pikelet" Pike comes of age; especially important to this process is his complicated friendship with "Loonie," and later an older couple that he meets through his adventures with Loonie. other way round. Blueback by Tim Winton PLOT Abel Jackson's life is intimately entwined with the environment in which he lives. good training. sometimes sulkily terse communiques. It takes that emotional element to propel people into changing behaviors.. . 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