Jamie and I always like to catch an Australian film or two when we’re in the country. One of the reasons we drove down to Adelaide yesterday was to see one called Mystery Road which we had seen reviewed on the Australian version of the Today Show.
It’s the story of an aboriginal police detective who’s returned to his home town in the outback from the big city. The only indigenous member of the local police department, he soon finds himself investigating the murder of a young girl. The investigation reveals a sinister underside to the community.
It’s not going to win any Academy Awards, but it has spectacular cinematography, a solid cast, and an intriguing plot that gradually peels away layers of corruption in the small outback town.
It’s worth a look — if for no reason other than taking a look at the gritty side of life in the Aussie outback — if you see it listed at some local art theater or find it on Netflix.
I watched the trailer and couldn’t understand a word they said.
Despite the fact that it’s supposedly English, Australian (or “Strine” as they call it in the Aussie dialect) is often incomprehensible. Can’t tell you how many times we’re watching television and one of us turns to the other and says, “Did you understand a word of that?” Even more embarrassing is when it happens when you’re talking face to face with an Aussie.
I just haven’t gotten around to a blog post on bewildering Aussie slang. But I will.