Unfinished Sky
Unfinished Sky is a 2007 drama film written and directed by Peter Duncan. William McInnes stars as John Woldring, an Australian farmer living in self-imposed exile after his wife's death, who rescues and protects Tahmeena, played by Monic Hendrickx, an Afghani refugee who has escaped abusive local townsfolk. Deliberated by scholars and Peter Duncan as a film focused on the response to 9/11, Unfinished Sky has also been described as post-national cinema, with themes of isolation, the fear of others, and the overcoming of obstacles, all relating to Australian identity.[1]
Unfinished Sky
Peter Duncan
Peter Duncan
Kees van der Hulst
- Tom Hoffie
- Robert Kievit
- San Fu Maltha
- Hanneke Niens
- Cathy Rodda
- Anton Smit
- Mumtaz Yildirimlar
Robert Humphries
Suresh Ayyar
- 2007
94 minutes
Australia
English
$745,484
Peter Duncan has reimagined the Dutch film The Polish Bride (1998), in an Australian context. Monic Hendrickx, who played the title role in The Polish Bride, plays Tahmeena; Unfinished Bride was a product of the Dutch-Australian venture New Holland Pictures, which was intent on the director's trying her for the role. In the role of John, William McInnes was praised for his portrayal of John as more isolated, stoic and wounded than his counterpart, Henk, in the Dutch film.
Unfinished Sky was filmed in Queensland at Beaudesert and Boonah; the cinematographer Robert Humphries deliberately framed the colours and reliability of the camera as a reflection of the familiarity of the central relationship. The first parts of the film are dramatically dull and feature the harsh Australia landscape. Editor Suresh Ayyar furthered this jaded quality by contrasting it with the vibrancy later in the film.
The film was released early on August 4, 2007, at the Brisbane Film Festival, on January 31 in the Netherlands, and on June 19 in Australia. It grossed just under $750,000 worldwide. It was relatively well received, winning various awards for best director, best adapted screenplay, best editor and best music during its theatrical release.
Plot[edit]
John Woldring (William McInnes), a widowed farmer in outback Australia, is living in isolation outside a small Queensland town until Tahmeena (Monic Hendrickx), a traumatised Afghan refugee, collapses near his farm. Halted by an inherent cultural and language barrier, the two reconcile their damaging pasts over the course of the film.
Suspected of having murdered his wife, John is ostracised by the local townspeople, while Tahmeena has fled the Taliban with her daughter. She has been separated from her daughter and "propertied" by Bob Potter, the corrupt local pub owner, but escaped after being brutally bashed and raped. She and John struggle to communicate, given the language barrier, and he must keep her presence a secret from the nosey neighbours and from Police Sergeant Carl Allen, who has his suspicions aroused. John and Tahmeena reconcile differences and bond over similarities in isolation. They work on a large jigsaw puzzle together, the "unfinished sky" giving the film its title. She is accepted by John's loyal dog, learns to drive the tractor and drop-kick a football. She later finds photos of an earlier John and his wife, a woman of similar appearance involved in those same activities; this sours her feelings towards him. They drive to Brisbane following a lead to her estranged daughter, which proves false and Tahmeena is distraught.
Their hesitant romantic relationship develops that night, but is interrupted by Potter and his brother Mike, who are intent on retrieving their "property", first shooting the dog. The intense conclusion involves a shoot-out in which John defends himself and Tahmeena. In the confusion Potter shoots his brother and is easily captured. Police Sergeant Allen arrives and Tahmeena recognises him as her attacker and Potter's accomplice. He gets the better of John but she strikes him from behind.
Later, John locates Tahmeena's daughter and brings her to Tahmeena in a refugee detention centre. The closing is unresolved but optimistic.
Release[edit]
The film was released globally on 19 June 2008 to a number of domestic film festivals, international screenings including Toronto and Dubai, with an earlier release of January 31 that year in the Netherlands.[48] It grossed $151,695 from opening at 29 theatres, staying in cinemas for 28 weeks at a total of 40 theatres and grossing $748,376 worldwide, with the vast majority of revenue coming from the Australian release ($745,484).[49]
Reception[edit]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an aggregate score of 89% based on 8 positive and 1 negative critic review.[50] The film was nominated for 10 Australian Film Institute Awards at its 2008 ceremony. It won three, including Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Monic Hendrickx) and Best Actor (William McInnes).[51] The film received positive reviews and was generally well received by audiences.[52] Its theatrical release also garnered many awards, namely; Duncan's win for Best Director, the Macquarie AFI Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editor (Suresh Ayyer), Best Screenplay and Best Music (Antony Partos) from Film Critics Circle of Australia and Best Director and Best Editing from IF Awards.[53] Unfinished Sky was screened at the opening night of the 2008 Dungog Film Festival.