South Solitary (2010)
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 17
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 5
No consensus yet.
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All Critics (18) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (5) | DVD (1)
a moody period piece whose titular location is all at once tangibly real and evocatively figurative.
It is a beautiful thing to watch, even if the pacing feels a bit lopsided.
South Solitary is perfect for those who prize art for its own sake and a perfect example of why the rest of Australia is afraid of Australian films.
It was Shirley Barrett who discovered Miranda Otto's gift for screen comedy and it is Barrett who is responsible for its re-emergence. It's been in hiding for a long time.
South Solitary walks a fine line between tender drama and rueful comedy. As with all good tightrope acts, you can't take your eyes away for a minute.
The film's restraint and its embrace of uncomfortable, spiky characters are deceptive elements; there is a quiet audacity about South Solitary that's an unexpected pleasure.
This is a lovely film: droll, endearing and poignant, with an intoxicating sense of place that seeps into your pores
Though beautifully acted and shot, South Solitary looks sure to be regarded as a decided acquired taste by many film goers.
It's like it goes forever, this monotony of life on the island.
Stunningly photographed by Anna Howard, South Solitary is a very special film, both original and in its own way, quite a daring one.
Meredith has a bath. Meredith milks a cow. Meredith chases a sheep. These scenes left me shaking my head with disbelief. Who could possibly find this interesting?
Barrett returns in ship-shape fashion with an enjoyable tale of loneliness and remorse.
Call me impatient, but the fact that so little happens in the film's latter half at such a ponderous pace, compared to the charm of the former, means the credits can't roll too soon.
What lurks behind the whirling winds and the stoic characters is a warm-hearted film that also happens to be as pretty as a picture
While the windswept locations are dramatic and the performances are touching, this simple story is too drawn out to be completely compelling.
While the film is subtle, nuanced and playfully charming at times, it lacks the scale and the dynamics to engage on the big screen for two hours
The offbeat humour hits its mark although it often feels forced
Audience Reviews for South Solitary
So away from negativities to what's great; the bleakness of the location, which is actually incredibly beautiful, is no match for the desolation of the social scene, which is killingly mean and harsh. There isn't any story element beyond the grossest [person in disgrace sentenced to stay on remote island] that I can remember elsewhere. Truly disquieting relations between characters. A lot of tension and increasing suspense. Riveting acting, though with Barry Otto there's always an element of satire that it's funny he gets away with. Maybe it's a built in thing that can't be shed, like Kevin Costner's Kevincostnerness that he can never shed [contrast with Daniel D-L the chameleon].
This is the sort of Au film I love, along with others like In the Winter Dark, The Tale of Ruby Rose and Perfect Strangers. Not because there's some category called 'Art', to which they are consigned by lovers of the trite and true[ly tedious] standard Hollywood thing, but because they're NEW, intriguing, set in wonderful places and overwhelmingly dominated by natural primeval ambience.
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This is set in the 1920's and follows the story of a single woman in her 30's who goes to stay with her uncle on an isolated island after a small scandal back at home. It is quite a slow movie, and it takes time to build the characters. As usual, I was really impressed with Miranda, she really seems to do well with socially awkward and unusual characters.
I don't think this would be for everyone. It is, as I mentioned, a slow film, and at almost 2 hours, it could probably really wear out its welcome with those that need excitement from their viewing. But those that can have some patience and like characters with depth may find this rewarding.