Here Out West is a 2021 Australian anthology film set in culturally diverse Western Sydney. It is made up of eight stories from eight writers and features nine languages. The film has been praised for its positive portrayal of the diversity of Western Sydney. It was the opening film for the 68th Sydney Film Festival.[1][2]
| Here Out West | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Cinematography | Tania Lambert |
| Edited by | Martin Connor |
| Music by | Amanda Brown |
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Languages |
|
Synopsis
editThe film consists of eight loosely connected sections, each following different characters in Western Sydney.
We, the Spiders
edit- Directed by Lucy Gaffy, written by Nisrine Amine
Nancy (Genevieve Lemon) is unexpectedly left to babysit her neighbour Amirah (Mia-Lore Bayeh). She visits her imprisoned daughter in the hospital where she had just given birth to a baby named Grace, and kidnaps the baby.
Everything Changes
edit- Directed by Ana Kokkinos, written by Matias Bolla
Jorge (Christian Ravello), a security guard in the hospital's carpark who has a fraught relationship with his son, writes poetry in Spanish while working. Nancy tries to leave the hospital with Grace, and as Jorge runs after her, his son stumbles across Jorge’s notebook, reading one of his poems.
Brotherhood
edit- Directed by Leah Purcell, written by Arka Das
Three friends—Dino (Thuso Lekwape), Rashid (Rahel Romahn) and Robi (Arka Das)—get into a fight. They see a man get hit by a car (driven by Nancy, who flees), and carry him to the hospital. The segment ends with Ashmita (Leah Vandenberg) approaching Robi.
The Eternal Dance
edit- Directed by Ana Kokkinos, written by Bina Bhattacharya
Ashmita is at the hospital visiting her dying father. He reverts to speaking only his native Bengali, so Ashmita asks Robi to interpret. Ashmita sings the song "Mama Chitte" and her father has a moment of lucidity.
The Musician
edit- Directed by Fadia Abboud, written by Dee Dogan
A Kurdish bağlama-maker tries to find work in Australia to support his family.
Brother Tom
edit- Directed by Fadia Abboud and Ana Kokkinos, written by Tien Tran
Tom returns to his old neighbourhood.
The Long Shift
edit- Directed by Julie Calceff, written by Vonne Patiag
A Filipina nurse works a long shift at the hospital, during which she witnesses Nancy kidnapping the baby.
Closing Night
edit- Directed by Leah Purcell, written by Claire Cao
A mother and daughter work together on the closing night of their restaurant.
Background and development
editEach subsection of the film was written by an emerging writer, all from different backgrounds. The film includes dialogue in ten languages: Tagalog, Bengali, Arabic, Kurdish, Spanish, Turkish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Kurmanji, and English.[3]
The food docu-series 8 Nights Out West was inspired by the movie, hosted by Here Out West writer and actor Arka Das. Each episode features a member of the cast or crew showcasing and discussing food from their cultural background. The docu-series aired in anticipation of the launch of Here Out West on the ABC's streaming service.[3]
Cast
edit- Geneviève Lemon as Nancy
- Christian Ravello as Jorge
- Arka Das as Robi
- Leah Vandenberg as Ashmita
- De Lovan Zandy as Keko
- Khoi Trinh as Tuan
- Brandon Nguyen as Andy
- Christine Milo as Roxanne
- Jing Xuan Chan as Angel
- Befrin Axtjärn Jackson as Xoxe
- Mia-Lore Bayeh as Amirah
- Rahel Romahn as Rashid
Reception
editTania Lambert, writing in The Conversation, considers that "the film while imperfect in that some stories are stronger than others, is a nuanced examination of race and class."[4] The Guardian's Luke Buckmaster gave it 3 stars and concluded that "the film comes across more as a number of parts rather than the sum of them. This is a drama of modest qualities, more adept at painting pockets of time in the characters’ lives rather than self-contained (or thematically related) narratives."[5] Wenlei Ma of news.com.au gave it 3 1/2 stars, saying "The result is a collection of stories that is genuine, moving and revealing. They have something to say about a community that’s home to millions of Australians and whose stories are often told by outsiders and without compassion."[6]
Reviewing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Paul Byrne awards the film 4 stars finishing "It’s a clever construction, and it helps that there is only one editor, Martin Connor, keeping the tone consistent throughout."[7] Also in The Sydney Morning Herald, Debi Enker gives it 4 1/2 stars, stating: "Getting the tone, pace and balance right on an anthology isn’t easy. This inventive and insightful production nails it."[8]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 12th AACTA Awards | Best Film | Here Out West – Co-curious and Emerald Productions | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Wendy Cork | Nominated | |||
| Audience Choice Award for Best Actor | Christian Ravello | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Logie Awards of 2023 | Most Outstanding Supporting Actor | Arka Das | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Hayman, Rani (3 November 2021), "New film Here Out West seeks to paint a different picture about living in Western Sydney", ABC News, archived from the original on 31 July 2023, retrieved 4 August 2023
- ^ Maddox, Garry (29 October 2021), "'Magic happened in the room': Here Out West is a rare contemporary take on western Sydney", Sydney Morning Herald, archived from the original on 4 October 2024, retrieved 4 August 2023
- ^ a b Trigg, Che-Marie (4 August 2022). "Where To Eat Bangladeshi, Chilean, Lebanese and Other Cuisines in Sydney". Broadsheet. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ Lambert, Tania (7 February 2022), "Here Out West: a film that centres Western Sydney through tales of marginality", The Conversation, archived from the original on 31 July 2023, retrieved 4 August 2023
- ^ Luke Buckmaster, Luke Buckmaster (4 November 2021), "Here Out West review – western Sydney anthology is tender, but modest", The Guardian, archived from the original on 4 October 2024, retrieved 4 August 2023
- ^ Ma, Wenlei (3 February 2022), "Here Out West brings out the humanity in western Sydney's stories", News.com.au, archived from the original on 9 March 2022, retrieved 4 August 2023
- ^ Byrne, Paul (2 February 2022), "This brilliant comedy-drama breaks the 'skip ceiling' in 10 languages", The Sydney Morning Herald, archived from the original on 31 July 2023, retrieved 4 August 2023
- ^ Enker, Debi (10 August 2022), "Many standouts in a vibrant portrait of Sydney's inner west", The Sydney Morning Herald, archived from the original on 31 July 2023, retrieved 4 August 2023
- ^ Knox, David (23 October 2022). "AACTA Awards 2022: nominees". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Knox, David (19 June 2023). "TV Week Logie Awards 2023: nominees". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.