Beneath Clouds
Written and Directed by Ivan Sen.
Starring Danielle Hall and Damian Pitt.
Follows the story of Lena and Vaughan; two unlikely companions thrown together on a journey of self-discovery. Lena (Danielle Hall) is a fair-skinned girl of mixed race living an unhappy life with her aboriginal mother in rural Australia. Appalled by her isolation and the state of her life, she sets of to Sydney in search of her Irish father. She meets Vaughan, a hardened Aboriginal boy who has broken out of prison with the intention of finding his mother, who is near death. Despite early aversions towards one another, the two eventually develop a deep friendship.
The film deals with the issue of racism within Australia and includes themes of self-discovery and the search for purpose. There is a particular focus on the attitudes of police and farmers towards indigenous people and the hardened feelings of the Aboriginals. With a simplistic script, stunning cinematography and brilliant debút performances from Hall and Pitt, Beneath Clouds makes for an enjoyable film experience. Director Ivan Sen uses an effective combination of dramatic realism and symbolism to tell his story. The script is believable and the characters are easy to empathise with. The film finishes fairly abruptly and it is clear that the journeys of Lena and Vaughan are not ended but the final scenes are beautifully poignant nonetheless.
BRONWEN
In a tiny desolate town lives fair-skinned, blue-eyed teenager Lena surrounded by abuse. After one day being pushed too far, she rejects her indigenous mother and sets out to find her Irish father in Sydney. That is how one part of this story begins. The other shows an indigenous teenage boy, Vaughan, in a minimum security prison. When Vaughan learns that his mother is dying, he escapes and heads home.
The two teenagers end up together with no money and no transport. Over the next twenty-four hours they walk and hitchhike through the changing landscape. It is obvious that first time director Ivan Sen uses the landscape to reflect the teenagers’ shifting feelings but he does it quite well. Both Danielle Hall as Lena and Damian Pitt who plays Vaughan are naturals. Their performances are the film’s main strengths. The story is told in conventional fashion apart from a couple of effective changes of pace, especially impressive during a nasty scene where Lena is about to get pulled into a car by two strangers.
The music in Beneath Clouds is grand and was produced by Sen himself, who also plays the guitar and keyboards. My main criticism of this film has to do with its tendency towards sentimentalism at the end.
The chemistry between the teenagers is so strong there is no need for tears. Apart from this, Beneath Clouds is a rewarding cinema experience and it has already won a couple of prizes at the Berlin Film Festival.
Sol
