the audience applauded

good back-story, and good acting

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

One false note and the whole thing collapses. Typically, scripts are edited and re-edited until your eyes fall out, and then re-edited some more. To draw you in, everything should be plausible and believable: Believable characters, believable storylines, believable situations. This film managed to keep its balls in the air until 1/3 of the way through, when our zaftig, middle-aged heroine waddles into the middle of a rugby game and distracts the players with a cocktail dress. More than likely these men would have been puzzled by the incongruity, not smitten with desire for a woman old enough to be their aunt. Okay, one sour note in the storyline, I guess I can keep watching. Then along comes the playground scene. Tilly begs her schoolmate not to tell where she's hiding. Come on, man. This is a town of not more than thirty people in the middle of nowhere, how in the world can she expect to keep hiding indefinitely? It makes zero sense. You people who automatically rated this film ten stars just because it stars Kate Winslet should have your head examined.

A great script perfectly acted on all cylinders. Wonderfully drawn characters and a story perfectly told through the sometimes very comedic caricatures of the residents of a dusty middle of nowhere outback Australian town. Kate Winslet gives the kind of performance that made us fall in love with her years ago and Liam Hemsworth is every bit as dreamy as you imagine he would be but Hugo Weaving steals the show and Judy Davis is spectacular with her nuanced mad mum scenes. I happened upon this movie one afternoon and almost passed it by because I'm not a big fan of dirty dusty outback films but boy am I glad I watched this. Don't miss this wonderful film!

Great acting by Judy Davis as Kate Winslet's mother. Depressing plot turns are somewhat offset by humorous characterizations and beautiful costumes.

An excellent movie based on a novel which perfectly highlights one of the evils of our society that is, someone can be cursed and cause harm to others. Such a mindset in a society is itself a curse as amply highlighted in the movie. overall an excellent movie with Kate Winslet at her best acting.