SBS Review
By Peter Galvin
Dark and sober Lucky Country is not pretty. There is a body count here and the violence when it comes, is swift and ugly. Still, for all of its bloodshed and its mordant tone of last options (all bad) it is also really quite thrilling.
In Lucky Country the land is savaged by [...]
Urban Cinefile Review
By Andrew L. Urban
Immersive in its mood of early Australian bush life, Lucky Country is a fable of this land as well as a story in which the best instincts of mankind barely survive the ravages of fate, nature and humanity itself. Muscular and poetic all at once, this is an intense drama [...]
Last night on At The Movies Margaret Pomeranz gave us a wonderful, 4 star review. Here’s a snippet of what she had to say:
“There is something intensely Australian about this film, it’s as if it’s seeking to penetrate some essence of where we’ve come from and who we are. Andy Cox’s screenplay is both poetic [...]
Film Link Review
By Julian Shaw
Clearly hungry for a broader canvas, director Kriv Stenders now takes on the unfamiliar world of early twentieth century Australia, but his keen eye for savagely real characterisations and men in crises remains unblemished. Aden Young (in a haunting performance sure to re-establish his big screen credentials) is Nat, a [...]
Empire Review
By Ed Gibbs
Director Kriv Stenders (whose Boxing Day, Blacktown and The Illustrated Family Doctor deserved bigger audiences) tackles the heat-soaked harshness of this Great Southern Land with similarly unsettling realism in this creepy psychological drama.
Not since The Proposition has there been a period drama that so vividly depicts the hell of settlement with such [...]
Matt’s Movie Review
A psychological western set during Australia’s formative years, Lucky Country explores the brutality of man when lured by the temptation of greed.
While recent Australian films have taken advantage of the sprawling landscapes which make the outback, director Kriv Stenders stays away from picturesque scenery and opts for the [...]
Alicia Hamilton at Mindfood just reviewed Lucky Country. She makes an interesting point about the film being set in 1902, but not being a period piece:
“It’s true that history dictates certain elements of the film (such as costumes), but its exploration of both the human condition and the impenetrable landscape are timeless; people are still [...]
Megan Wright from Cut, Print, Review gave Lucky Country a great write up. Here’s what she had to say about the performances by the lead cast:
“Nat’s severe pain over his wife’s death is well executed by Aden Young, and his decline into psychosis is eerily similar to that seen in The Shining. Toby Wallace is [...]
Dungog Film Festival premiered Lucky Country in May. The festival attracts over 6,000 film fanatics. The above clips are two fans first thoughts on the Kriv’s film.