Erskineville Kings (1999)

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Australian director Alan White creates this bleak but gorgeously photographed urban drama about life in Sydney's seedy inner suburbs. Hoping to escape his dad's drunken and abusive behavior, Barky runs away from home to cut cane in the north of the country. Two years later, he returns to his… More Australian director Alan White creates this bleak but gorgeously photographed urban drama about life in Sydney's seedy inner suburbs. Hoping to escape his dad's drunken and abusive behavior, Barky runs away from home to cut cane in the north of the country. Two years later, he returns to his down-and-out hometown to attend the funeral of his father and to make amends with his brother Wace, with whom he had a falling-out. As he meets up with old friends and his ex-girlfriend Lanny, Barky reveals more and more about the enigmatic workings of his mind and the grim circumstances of his upbringing. Shot on a very low budget, the film nonetheless creates a compelling portrait of this gritty, oppressive land. Erskineville Kings was screened at the 1999 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi