Rachel Ward always had the air of an intelligent actress who would probably move into writing and directing one day, but few would guess her debut film as helmer would be this intense. Beautiful Kate is tense, atmospheric, stifling, bleakly beautiful and a completely unexpected surprise from a woman whose on-screen persona is so sunny and positive. Its far more Picnic at Hanging Rock than Dead Men Dont Wear Plaid, put it that way.
Ward stays behind the camera, but puts real-life hubby Bryan Brown on screen as Bruce Kendall, a cantankerous old man close to death and being cared for by his daughter Sally (the rather wonderful Rachel Griffiths) in the middle of South Australia. He is visited by his son Ned (Ben Mendelsohn) and his flighty girlfriend Toni Ned has become a bitter writer, Toni is his absurdly young partner who witnesses the two men bark and snap at each other for much of the movie.
Toni then notices a photo of a beautiful girl, Kate, who turns out to be Neds long-deceased twin sister who apparently died in a car crash. There is also another ghost haunting the clapped-out old farm, Neds older brother, Cliff, who committed suicide. What on earth has happened, and how are all these deeply disturbed but entrenched characters going to reconcile themselves?
Toni actually doesnt wait to find out she is virtually abused by the dark, brooding Ned, although she does share a tender scene with his father, too ill to get out of bed. When the insults really start to fly though she departs, leaving Neds sister Sally to sort out the fight between father and son, and also solve the mystery of the terrible incident that is clearly still affecting the family decades on.
If this all sounds unrelentingly grim, well, it is, but its to Wards great credit that she keeps the attention throughout without any cheap cop-outs. She uses the terrain spectacularly well the Spartan beauty of South Australia has never looked better and she also throws in an equally bleak but somehow appropriate soundtrack. Its beautifully played, the casting is spot-on and every character is completely believable. From the moment early on when Ned hits a kangaroo with his car we know its going to be a dark journey, and it is, but one which is somehow satisfying despite the gloom. For her debut feature Ward has sprung quite a shock, and it will be very interesting to see what she does next.
Overall verdict: Bleakly beautiful, dark tale of a family tragedy which hits every note bang on.
Reviewer: Mike Martin