Nitram

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Nitram

2022

1h 52m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

92%

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119 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Nitram (Caleb Landry-Jones) lives with his mother (Judy Davis) and father (Anthony LaPaglia) in suburban Australia in the Mid 1990s. He lives a life of isolation and frustration at never being able to fit in. That is until he unexpectedly finds a close friend in a reclusive heiress, Helen (Essie Davis). However when that friendship meets its tragic end, and Nitram's loneliness and anger grow, he begins a slow descent into a nightmare that culminates in the most nihilistic and heinous of acts.

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Critics Consensus

Nitram asks viewers to face a gut-wrenchingly grim moment in Australian history -- but rewards that effort with a gripping, well-acted character study.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

Sep 18, 2024

5/5

A thoughtful and icy examination of the creation of a mass shooter.

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Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

Jul 5, 2022

4/5

Nitram is a stark, difficult, but deeply reflective film that asks sincerely why we describe these crimes as incomprehensible at the very same time as we watch the same patterns unfold, again and again.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Jul 4, 2022

3/5

[A] quietly harrowing drama...

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Christos Tsiolkas

The Saturday Paper

Aug 19, 2026

One of the astonishing wonders of Nitram is that director Justin Kurzel manages to honour the imperative not to exploit the tragedy while keeping that humanising memory of the excitable child alive for the duration of the film.

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Calum Cooper

In Their Own League

Jul 15, 2024

2/5

While poor mental health certainly isn’t an excuse for any kind of toxic action, let alone murder, it is saddening to see director Justin Kurzel, an otherwise gifted filmmaker, approach this matter in such a regressive manner.

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Ross McIndoe

Vague Visages

Jul 4, 2024

The question of purpose still lingers, of what was achieved by reliving these crimes and humanizing the man who perpetrated them. But thanks to the sense of slow-motion horror that Jones and Kurzel create, Nitram remains a relentlessly intriguing film.

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Kevin J

@RT50272458 Aug 16, 2026

As an Aussie this was our 911.The whole continent felt it and was devastating. Its a the swiss cheese model of failure of how this happened

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Sean M

@Big_Lebrewski Apr 22, 2026

Just back from Tassie trip and went to Port Arthur. I worked up the courage to see this movie. Absolutely essential viewing. Was powerful and evocative movie making. Whilst not justifying the absolutely atrocious and evil behaviour of this man, it shows just how it can all end wrong. He was on the spectrum, low iq and not getting the support he desperately needed. A cocktail of poor circumstances lead to the worst catastrophe on my fair land's shores. A must see.

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Wayne K

@WayneKelso Mar 19, 2026

Nitram is, in some ways, Australia’s equivalent to We Need To Talk About Kevin, an excellent film you need to see, if only once. A disturbed lead, a fractured family dynamic, escalating tension and a violent climax that’s shocking without being exploitative. We don’t need to see what happens because it’s very obvious in the build up how its going to end, whether or not you know the real-life facts of the case, which I didn’t. The film stays disturbingly close to real life events, and Jones is perfectly cast as the angsty young man with a thinly veiled temper and personality disorder that leaves him at odds with everyone around him. It’s not so much about a person being pushed closer to the edge, its about someone who’s been there for a long time, finally deciding top jump. Not an easy watch, but a very powerful one.

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Feb 19, 2026

Such a powerful and harrowing movie all around!

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Ellen T.

@ellentorke Feb 9, 2026

A true story about a mass murderer in Australia in the 1990's. He was unable to connect with people and was below normal intelligence. Caleb Landry Jones won the Cannes film festival award for best performance. He is an extraordinary actor

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Diana L

@D313lee Feb 4, 2026

Absolutely heartbreaking! A masterful performance from Caleb that brought tears to my eyes.

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Justin Kurzel

Director

Caleb Landry Jones

Nitram

Judy Davis

Mum

Sean Keenan

Jamie

Essie Davis

Helen

Anthony LaPaglia

Dad

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Synopsis

Nitram (Caleb Landry-Jones) lives with his mother (Judy Davis) and father (Anthony LaPaglia) in suburban Australia in the Mid 1990s. He lives a life of isolation and frustration at never being able to fit in. That is until he unexpectedly finds a close friend in a reclusive heiress, Helen (Essie Davis). However when that friendship meets its tragic end, and Nitram's loneliness and anger grow, he begins a slow descent into a nightmare that culminates in the most nihilistic and heinous of acts.

Director: Justin Kurzel
Producer: Nick Batzias, Shaun Grant, Justin Kurzel, Virginia Whitwell
Screenwriter: Shaun Grant
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: GoodThing Productions, Melbourne International Film Festival
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 30, 2022
Runtime: 1h 52m

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