| Reference Type |
web
|
| Title |
SBS Film South Solitary |
| Chapter/Web article title |
A sluggish tale of stilted romance. |
| Author(s) | Fiona Williams |
| State |
Unknown |
| Country |
Australia |
| Publication Date |
29-07-2010 |
| Citation Date |
02-05-2012 |
| Site URL |
http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/7262/South-Solitary- |
| Synopsis |
The distress signals are coming over loud and clear in Shirley Barrettâs South Solitary well before the lead character spells them out in semaphore.
Barrettâs sluggish tale of stilted romance in a remote lighthouse community rests a heavy burden on the shoulders of its lead Miranda Otto; the role calls on the always dependable Otto to muster every ounce of her charm to sustain audience interest in the flighty and cloying Meredith. Fans of Barrettâs 1996 deliciously ironic fish-out-of-water tale Love Serenade are bound to be disappointed by this reteaming of the director and that filmâs lead. Otto does her best to elicit comic empathy for this filmâs misunderstood misfit who is paying a heavy price for past indiscretions, but sheâs let down by a weak script and persistent âlandscape as characterâ metaphors.
In the opening frame, Meredith sets foot on the rickety cliff face of the inhospitable South Solitary, and it is at once clear that this fussy interloper will find the experience hard going, not least because of the open hostility being displayed by her travelling companion and the islandâs new Lighthouse Keeper, Uncle Wadsworth (Barry Otto). The welcoming reception from the lighthouseâs tiny, imposing population is equally frosty (save for some lingering glances from the married co-Assistant Keeper, Harry Stanley â Rohan Nichol). In total, the opening moments set Meredith up as veritable lamb to the slaughter, and Barrett overstates the point by having her lead cradle a baby lamb as she attempts to get a foothold on the near-impossible incline of the rock face.
Upon arriving at South Solitary, Meredith founders in almost all of her domestic duties (in accordance with the exacting standards of her brusque uncle) and unloads on the only other woman on the island, Stanleyâs wife Alma (Essie Davis). It transpires that in the recent Roaring Twenties she engaged in some misadventures with married men, and a subsequent botched abortion has rendered her as barren as the landscape she now calls home. Her old Uncle Wadsworth is none too pleased at having bailed her out of that sorry situation, and relishes every opportunity to unleash his compounding fury.
Meredithâs revelation unseats some hilarious passive aggression from Davis as Alma, overcome by wifely concerns about the presence of this brazen hussy on the island, with her history of promiscuity and no means of conceiving. Her fears are legitimised soon enough, when her husband cops a feel of Meredithâs sateen dressing gown and seduces her with blokey small talk. But rather than build up to the inevitable confrontation, or play out the competitive scenario for comic effect, Barrett devises a plot point that ships the filmâs liveliest character off the island, and the remaining film is poorer for Almaâs absence.
With all other options exhausted, Meredith focuses her attentions on the remaining Assistant Keeper, Welsch brooder Jack Fleet (Marton Csokas), whoâs not so much the strong, silent type as he is a near-mute mountain of masculinity. Their developing attachment is a study in restraint and noisy soundscapes, and includes a lacklustre storm scene that underscores Meredithâs âany port in a stormâ attitude to life.
Barrett offers only occasional glimpses of her trademark eccentricities, including a recurring subtext about thwarted attempts to relay information to the mainland. These welcome distractions only serve to reinforce the belief that this film similarly struggles to get its point across.
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