Sorry, this movie sucks

Let's be realistic.

Excellent but underrated film

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Don't you just love it when you're searching for some escapism and you accidentally come across a movie that you've never heard of and are impressed by it from start to finish. This movie is classy because it takes an old, predictable story line but makes you want to keep watching simply because of the quality of the film making. The acting is fantastic. The entire cast are totally believable (where are all these brilliant Aussie actors hiding?)The tension and suspense in the direction is enthralling. The dialogue is underplayed and the ominous cool of modern urban multiculturalism is portrayed with artistry. Great cast, script and especially insightful direction. Loved it!

This film was really big surprise for me since I've never heard about it and no one seems to have seen it. This dark, realistic, gritty, crime drama takes no prisoners, offers no easy explanations and also gives the viewer something to think about. The film circles around three friends with lebanese heritage who all dreams of succeeding and becoming financially independent.The life of crime is the easy way out when everything else seems to fail and thus these three friends embark on a road that can only lead to more problems.Director Serhat Caradee has gotten a very talented group actors like, Les Chantery, Bren Foster, Waddah Sari, Rachael Taylor etc. Everyone plays their characters with a lot realism, honesty and also leaves the viewer with an emotional impact that rarely seen in crime films nowadays.Usually crime drama fall short on realism, they become too glossy or starts glorifying the main characters, or makes unrealistic plot turns but not so here.The socialrealism is everywhere in this film, it has a lowkey tone/style to it that reminds you of old classics like The Panic in Needle Park (1971, Mean Streets (1973) etc. Some of the characters feels so real you could sworn you met these on a Friday night at some clubs, bars, discos. See this film, it will be worth it, providing that you like films like Gomorra (2008, Little Odessa (1994) or documentaries like Cocaine Cowboys (2006.

Cedar Boys manages to be intriguing and disappointing at the same time. It is an interesting story portraying Australian youths without including surfers, dingoes or Aborigines, which was a welcome change. It was also interesting to see how the former Lebanonese citizens are able to adapt to a new society where employment options are limited especially for the teenagers or young adults.They live in a world where all the opportunities for a successful future seem to be afforded to only the non-immigrant population especially the rich, beautiful, white people. Immigrants seem to have little chance to survive without resorting to committing crimes such as selling drugs or committing crimes. How will they fight the urge to join their friends and a few family members in a exciting yet dangerous life of illicit behavior? The protagonist of the story; Tarek (Les Chantery), tries to live the best of both worlds. He wants to maintain his squeaky-clean, hardworking image in front of his parents and little sister while desperately wanting to be accepted by the rich and famous who frequent some of Sydney's nightclubs.Tarek is joined by his friend Nadil (Buddy Dannoun) and by a small-time, drug-dealing associate Sam (Waddah Sari) in a quest to find fame and fortune. Unfortunately, they choose to mess with the wrong people. They become entangled with local drug dealers who have little appreciation for their aspirations for a glamorous, care-free lives.This small budget film can not manage to provide the intensity and emotion that should occur when these two groups collide. The established drug dealers seem mostly dismayed or slightly annoyed that a new gang has encroached their territory. They don't inflict the type of damage necessary to send a message to their rivals and in the process the audience can not be fully engaged in Tarek and his friends' plight. Being slapped around a little by their enemies doesn't convey the fear that these people must have felt in a similar real-life situation. This leaves the viewer less involved than they should be.The poor camera work also hampers this film. Sometimes scenes are shown with people talking yet you can't see their faces until the cameraman slowly backs out. This doesn't seem to be a deliberate way to build tension, just a lack of skill by the camera operator. Quick pan shots and choppy editing do a disservice to the film. It would have been more enjoyable if the producers had managed to spend a little more money in order to provide a quality product.Cedar Boys had an opportunity to be an excellent film, but fell short of greatness.

Okay, I think the question IS should we or should we not spend our time to watch this movie. Yes, especially since the movie market seems constantly flooded with new material. Many big budget, "A List" actor films spend advert money hoping for blockbusters. This Cedar Boys film is more of a low budget writer/director film. (Low budget being around 1.5 million contrasted with a few thousand micro-budget "friends and family" budgets like the "Blair Witch" project.) This writer/director went to an Australian film school, likely made connections and played the system to get state funding et cetera. Congratulations for maintaining some integrity this money/finance driven "Hollywood" industry (where playing the money game often devastates creativity). Okay, now to my critique and 7.5 stars. I chose to watch the film because the multicultural messages appeals to my avid travel/explorative sensibilities. (Though I've spend years backpacking the globe, I've never actually done Australia and always enjoy some insight into this country.) Even through main characters look they are trying to fit in as Lebanese (i.e. Middle Eastern), the attitudes can relate to many who dress up, go out and sometimes even do drugs to fit in. The writer director appears to do a somewhat realistic representation of cocaine which the "hot" white-girl wanted … leading into a relationship with the girl who lied about being an designer and was actually a stripper. Then the movie surrounds the theft and subsequent selling 1000's of white pills. They appeared to be called "Euro" pills. Even though some of the characters appear like they may be on the pills, I do not notice what type of drugs, and with this if there are any effects, any noticeable personality changes of these characters being on the drugs. Note that cocaine is clearly represented but are the other drugs some type of steroid, speed or MDMA/MDA/X. I think that a bit more sensitivity to the drug could relate to viewers who may have experienced or can relate to drugs. This gets to the next overarching theme that "crime doesn't pay." This theme is done pretty well. Good natured kids (out of high school and working) get involved in more serious crimes which leads to the murder of main character. I also liked the portrayal of the older brother who was in jail. I liked the multicultural, religious effect of the character doing Salat prayer. (The Muslim prayer on a prayer carpet in a prison cell which is shown a couple times). I also like the ending where this brother appeared to kill the fellow prisoner which did not keep his apparent promise. The main character, younger brother of the prisoner ended up murdered. This is a nice ending that makes us think about right and wrong (also the multi-cultural Middle Eastern theme relating to vendettas).In conclusion I will say that I also like the portrayal of close family bonds where most of the kids were living with their parents and tried to respect a level of family values. The writer/director dedicated the movie to his Mother who was sick and died shortly after the movie was done. So, another positive surrounds a more realistic, seemingly multicultural presentation of family ties. Often crime hurts the families most. Good job on the movie and good luck in the future. (Note, maybe look for another screenwriter to collaborate and bring some potentially new material.) Thumbs Up, Scot