In his first feature, writer/director Nick Parsons brings his award-winning stageplay, Dead Heart, to film.
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One morning in the isolated outback community of Wala Wala, a jailed
Aboriginal is found dead in sheriff Ray's small prison. The authorities
declare it an accident, but the Aborigines demand justice in a traditional
eye-for-an-eye style. Ray manages to reconcile the law's need for due
process with the demands of Aboriginal tribal tradition, but not without
raising the already high tension level. Meanwhile, Kate, the schoolteacher's
wife, is having an affair with Tony, a sensual Aborigine, who is also her
husband's assistant. When the Aboriginal tribal elders discover that this
indiscretion has been taking police on a secret sacred site, they decide
there's only one solution. The next morning Tony is found dead without a
mark on him. Ray must now solve the crime while keeping his small community
from exploding
Actor Bryan Brown gives a perfect, understated performance as the conflicted sheriff in this Australian interpretation of a classic western. 1996, 35mm, Color, 104 minutes
Producer: Helen Watts, Bryan Brown |
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