South Solitary (2010)

Critic Reviews

• Anton Bitel, Eye for Film

  a moody period piece whose titular location is all at once tangibly real and evocatively figurative.

• Tim Martain, The Mercury

  It is a beautiful thing to watch, even if the pacing feels a bit lopsided.

• Giles Hardie, Sydney Morning Herald

  South Solitary is perfect for those who prize art for its own sake and a perfect example of why the rest of Australia is afraid of Australian films.

• Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald

  It was Shirley Barrett who discovered Miranda Otto's gift for screen comedy and it is Barrett who is responsible for its re-emergence. It's been in hiding for a long time.

• Julie Rigg, MovieTime, ABC Radio National

  South Solitary walks a fine line between tender drama and rueful comedy. As with all good tightrope acts, you can't take your eyes away for a minute.

• Philippa Hawker, The Age (Australia)

  The film's restraint and its embrace of uncomfortable, spiky characters are deceptive elements; there is a quiet audacity about South Solitary that's an unexpected pleasure.

• Nick Dent, Sunday Mail (Australia)

  This is a lovely film: droll, endearing and poignant, with an intoxicating sense of place that seeps into your pores

• Leigh Paatsch, Herald Sun (Australia)

  Though beautifully acted and shot, South Solitary looks sure to be regarded as a decided acquired taste by many film goers.

• Margaret Pomeranz, At the Movies (Australia)

  It's like it goes forever, this monotony of life on the island.

• David Stratton, At the Movies (Australia)

  Stunningly photographed by Anna Howard, South Solitary is a very special film, both original and in its own way, quite a daring one.

• Matthew Toomey, ABC Radio Brisbane

  Meredith has a bath. Meredith milks a cow. Meredith chases a sheep. These scenes left me shaking my head with disbelief. Who could possibly find this interesting?

• David Michael Brown, Empire Magazine Australasia

  Barrett returns in ship-shape fashion with an enjoyable tale of loneliness and remorse.

• James Mitchell, Trespass

  Call me impatient, but the fact that so little happens in the film's latter half at such a ponderous pace, compared to the charm of the former, means the credits can't roll too soon.

• Alice Tynan, Concrete Playground

  What lurks behind the whirling winds and the stoic characters is a warm-hearted film that also happens to be as pretty as a picture

• Alicia Malone, FILMINK (Australia)

  While the windswept locations are dramatic and the performances are touching, this simple story is too drawn out to be completely compelling.

• Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile

  While the film is subtle, nuanced and playfully charming at times, it lacks the scale and the dynamics to engage on the big screen for two hours

• Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile

  The offbeat humour hits its mark although it often feels forced

Read all 17 critic reviews