Film review: Aussie thriller Blame

THIS Australian-made home-invasion thriller is very unpleasant at times, but there is still a lot to like about Blame.

hit blame

THIS Australian-made home-invasion thriller is very unpleasant at times, but there is still a lot to like about Blame.

First-time writer-director Michael Henry makes a little go a long way throughout, pushing an impressive young cast through a twisty, turny maze most viewers will be happy to get lost in.

The setting is a farm house in the bush. The sole occupant, a music teacher named Bernard (Damian de Montemas), has just returned home from work.

No sooner is he through the front door when he is set upon by five black-clad figures in balaclavas. Bernard is tied to a chair. His mouth is forced open. A fatal-strength dose of sleeping tablets is forced down his throat.

A suicide note is composed on Bernard's PC. His body is positioned carefully on the floor. Job done.

Or so you would think. Despite their seemingly rigorous methodology, it turns out the young quintet of assailants has never done this kind of thing before. One key error has been made. Which triggers another. And another.

Working with a ratio of three parts guessing game to two parts modern morality tale, Blame sustains a strong grip on your attention, even when it stumbles on a plot hole that cannot be filled.

It is definitely a film best seen with little or no advance knowledge of its content. In particular, the reasons each of the five perps have chosen to take part in the ill-fated scheme are best left to your imagination.

Performances are believable for the most part, though some of the dialogue when proceedings get a little shouty leave a few cast members looking shaky.

VISIT blamefilm.com

Blame (MA15+)
Star rating: * * *
Director: Michael Henry (feature debut)
Starring: Mark Leonard Winter and Kestie Morassi (above), Damian de Montemas, Sophie Lowe, Simon Stone, Ashley Zukerman
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Uninvited guests at a residence evil