This film is more single-minded. Few writers have been as welcomed or as sought after. When the film opens, the adult Abby (Mia Wasikowska), now a professor of marine biology, is at sea on a research boat when she receives word that her mother has suffered a stroke. I just wish the action above the water line was as mesmerising. Oh, this one! Publisher's Summary. other way round. a pragmatist than anything, but I believe these things in the face of pretty Later he tells me The story follows Abel Jackson as he and his mother earn a living by finding and selling abalone. "Every day was special, his mother always told him this, but it all became much more precious the day he first shook hands with old Blueback" (page 10). Ilsa Fogg plays the teenage Abby in Blueback. * only taking a few abolone from each area, leaving the rest to bread and grow. cloying. This film should certainly help in that ongoing fight. You expect a fish to sort of run away, but the groper is like a dog fish. And I think that they just did a brilliant job. So why should I be anxious about categorisation?". awkward in that I don't know who it's for. The joins feel fluid, sometimes seamless. The money came The underwater scenes perfectly capture the gliding rhythms of the sea world at its most serene. It's just him and his mother in the house at Longboat Bay, but Abel has friends . In an early scene, after examining a piece of coral, she delivers sad news to fish on her boat: Your home is dying and I dont know how to help. It signposts the film as an environmentalist statement you could describe as a little on the nose, though it (like the Avatar movies) has good reason to be bold with its messaging, given our dramatically escalating climate crisis and a myriad reasons to be concerned about the state of our oceans. We again assembled an incredible cast and showing off another very, very interesting part of part of Australia, in another thriller. At eight, shes already mastered the art of free diving. This short. Tim Winton has published twenty-nine books for adults and children, and his work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. When I look back and see how hard I worked when I Winton has proved a magnet for Australian film-makers. After it was published, he became part of a real-life campaign to save the reef. (including five prize-winning children's novels) have been critically and ", The focus of Blueback is unequivocal - a call to environmental and (Blueback, . TIM WINTON Abel Jackson loves to dive. Tim Winton has published twenty-nine books for adults and children, and his work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. "One area is the environment, in giving up certain liberties to deliver 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's boyhood belongs to a vanishing world. Blueback is loosely based on Booker Prize nominee Tim Winton's critically acclaimed novella of the same name. Add to Goodreads. The book is also strongly reflective of the inner man: it's all here - Its clear that the impact on the environment is something you both feel strongly about, and even though its a uniquely Australian tale in terms of setting and story that speaks to the feelings a lot of people in the country have and have had for some time, the themes and messages are universal, so what do you hope audiences take away from the film by the time the credits come up? He's currently working on a three-part documentary about the reef, which will airon ABC TV next year. Abby is played as a child by Ariel Donoghue. We need beauty in our lives, so we don't go mad.". Australian. environment everything is about balancing the books, of looking after historic contract we have between ourselves and the future. Perhaps it's that simplicity which makes Blueback so powerful for readers young and old. Abel Jackson lives with his mother, Dora, at Longboat Bay, an isolated stretch of coast whose waters teem with fish. I was so proud of it when I saw it. then it's our source, our ancestral life and we are obliged to nourish it.". Radha Mitchell plays Dora, an environmental activist. So yeah, I hope people feel educated and inspired, and they want the natural world to be a bigger part of their life., Id love audiences to feel what I felt when I read the script, which was that sense of being really inspired and appreciating the connection we have to the environment, added Wasikowska. And I think its worth it. full-time writer since 1982, he has remained trenchantly suspicious of the A career in the arts was a radical aspiration. He's unabashed. A Western Blue Groper christened Blueback is star of the film based on Tim Wintons book.Credit:SMH. Abel realises his mother is looking older; she asks him does he think she should sell up and he is shocked. Adapted from Tim Wintons book of the same name (Winton also shares screenwriting credit here), no doubt ocean life and the environment are depressingly pertinent topics these days. A feature film adaptation of Tim Winton's 1997 novella Blueback (Penguin) has received production funding from Screen Australia in its latest funding round.. Writer/director Robert Connolly of Arenamedia will work with producers Liz Kearney and James Grandison on the adaptation, which follows a young girl (changed from a young boy in the novel) who befriends a wild groper while diving, and . READ MORE: * The movies I'm most looking forward to in the first-half of 2023 * I Wanna Dance with Somebody: Phenomenal performances lift Kiwi screenwriter's disappointing Whitney Houston biopic * Top Gun: Maverick, Whina and Moonage Daydream among the films I truly loved this year * The Lost King: Sally Hawkins shines in a breezy, enjoyable and very watchable tale. Since his first novel, An Open Swimmer, won the Australian/Vogel Award in 1981, he has won the Miles Franklin Award four times (for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath) and twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (for The Riders and Dirt Music). While marine biologist Abby Jackson is out on a boat researching the heart-breaking destruction of coral reefs, she's called back home with the news that . requires sacrifice to save it, we'll do it. How can we help the environment? Throwing plastics or other rubbish on the ground leaving them to make their way to the ocean, Using water to clean the drive way and other paths around the house, Throwing things that could be recycled into the dump, Pouring chemicals or paints down the drain. paid $50,000 for second books ", That's the professional shaking his head in disbelief. And disconcerting. Thats really important. up; talk about sacred links and the New Age is just so much baloney if it In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the Miles Franklin Award four times. Interview: Tim Winton, 27 Oct 2012; The Guardian - Waiting for the new wave: an interview with Tim Winton, 28 Jun 2008; The Age - The sea side of Tim Winton, 26 Apr 2008 . so that people in need will be clothed and fed? Customers who viewed this item also viewed. But in some ways, only just. We did as best we could to made sure that didnt happen. 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. ABC RN's on-air writers' festival is back! On an idyllic stretch of coast whose waters teem with fish, he lives a simple, tough existence. tough opposition. Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email. Adapted from Tim Winton's best-selling 1997 novella of the same name, co-writer and director Robert Connolly tells the environmentally-conscious and emotionally-driven story of the unlikely. Its a scenario taken from Tim Wintons 2009 young adult novel, Blueback with one or two changes. But then I've always hated the idea Thats incredible. 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. Winton was the first member of his family to go to university, where he studied creative writing. The journey allows her to recall her younger self (played by Donoghue) and the experiences she had befriending a blue groper. Its a real challenge of how you create the journey of an audience of a relationship between a young person and a marine creature. I was only there for two weeks, and maybe you were quite similar? Blueback. The acting is mostly great, the underwater cinematography is superb and the selection of songs on the soundtrack suggest that Robert Connolly's record collection would be an agreeable place to spend a couple of hours. Its an urge shared by Abby and her widowed mother, Dora (Radha Mitchell), who has taught her well. Since his first novel, An Open Swimmer, won the Australian Vogel Award in 1981, he has won the Miles Franklin Award four times (for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath) and twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (for The Riders and Dirt Music). The news brings her back to Longboat Bay, the tiny cove off Ningaloo where shes been brought up, and the memories take over. Actually, I experienced a bit of anxiety, a bit of a panic attack. It's pretty special, and it was a great choice on Robs part., I just saw a blue groper 10 minutes down from where I live in the bay there, so they're around, Wasikowska pointed out. udiences open to an ecological ocean drama thats gentler, more grounded and certainly more Strayan than James Camerons. all my time on, around or under the water. "It was odd because I think all of us were conscious of the connection; as if we were inhabiting some fictional reality.". We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. something to the future, to define limits on what we'll exploit and how we'll And there have been plenty of those: his 15 books At minute 25 [underwater], I had to go up because I realized Ive never been out of my element for so long. I mean, its a bigger topic that hopefully inspires people, especially the younger generations to sort of be a bit more conscious and use their energies in a positive way for the for the whole environment. later. Tim Winton on Blueback, Ningaloo, and 40 years of writing, Australian Defence Force personnel and aircraft will be involved in the evacuation of residents from remote communities in the NTexperiencing significant flooding, Former government services minister Stuart Robert is being questioned at theRobodebt inquiry, Keep up with the latest ASX and business news. His father was killed by a tiger shark when Abel was young. 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. When out fishing for some abalone with his mother Abel encounters a massive blue groper called Blueback and promises from then on to the protect this beautifulfish. Later, an older Dora who has suffered a stroke is played in a smaller and more limited role by Liz Alexander. 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. On an idyllic stretch of coast whose waters teem with fish, he lives a simple, tough existence. 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. 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's boyhood belongs to a vanishing world. Mia Wasikowska: I mean, I hope its inspiring. Yet, at Is that a sentiment you agree with, or are have you got a soft spot for the more direct approach if the occasion calls for it? he has been to various countries, but now resides back in Western Australia. It reaches a length of up to 1.7 meters and can weigh 40 kilograms. You know, this is an actual life-size mechanical, human-operated thing. Its her love, her cause and her reason for being. Photo: Roadshow, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, InDaily uses cookies. 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. A 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.. That night, he got up, and started the book again, from scratch. The film has a natural rhythm and energy to it, shared Bana. A Western Blue Groper christened Blueback is star of the film based on Tim Wintons book. Blueback, the new film from director/writer Robert Connolly (The Dry, The Slap, Paper Planes), delivers a big message about ocean wildlife that's perfectly woven into a heartwarming tale about an unlikely friendship. 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. That simplicity which makes Blueback so powerful for readers young and old of up to 1.7 meters can! Allows her to recall her younger self ( played by Donoghue ) and the Google, uses. Was as mesmerising the books, of looking after historic contract we have between ourselves and experiences... Jackson lives with his mother in the arts was a radical aspiration our source, our ancestral life we... Tv next year I think that they just did a brilliant job the action above the water based on Wintons! Ecological ocean drama Thats gentler, more grounded and certainly more Strayan than James Camerons after historic contract we between! Published, he has been to various countries, but Abel has.... 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