Touches You

To me, this movie is perfection.

Strong and Moving!

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Bran Nue Dae experience is nothing but hunky-dory and It indeed presents a memorable experience. The delivery is pleasant, tight and often hilarious with a toe-tapping soundtrack. A story of self-discovery and exploration yet, it clearly hints the importance of freedom and human experiences. While being salubrious with spontaneous dance-acts, it also delivers some clever Broadway or Fred Astaire style footwork and fancy vocals. The nut-shelled coming of age story of fifteen-year old Willie also interjects a message about the hardships of Australian Aboriginal lives, their involvement with religious beliefs as well as their social problems as alcoholism and poverty. However, the success of Bran Nue Dae lies in the fact that it can be viewed both as a pleasant story of love, dance and music as well as a sociological journey into Australia, her history and the elements of her society. Either way, the audience is bound to love the light-hearted pace of this 85 minute production.Bran Nue Dae was screened at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, with kind courtesy of the Australian High Commission on 12th June 2012.~ Sean Amos

My wife is a musical nut, I am not. When this finally came out on DVD she forced me to endure what I was expecting to be another boring musical. Instead I was treated to a light hearted and very fun look at segregated Australia of the mid 60's.The story revolves around a young Aboriginal boy named Willie (Rocky McKenzie) who is going to learn to be a priest. He is whisked off to Perth where he realizes that he would rather be with the girl that he loves rather than a man of the cloth. He then runs away after an altercation with the head priest and sets out on the journey back home.The songs were a great mix of country, bush ballads and musical numbers. The characters very funny (Deborah Mailman was for me the highlight) and the story highly enjoyable.For a person that really doesn't like musicals, I give this a 9.

"Bran Nue Day" was one of the most magical nights I ever had in the theatre. The young Aboriginal cast was a delight and although the young experienced cast may not have had the polish of more seasoned performers it was still a warm engaging production. I had reservations about seeing the movie; I was worried it would become too slick and too polished. Director Rachel Perkins has assembled a cast of slick professionals such as Geoffrey Rush and Ernie Dingo and both give fine over the top performances but she has also gathered some new faces such as Jessica Mauboy and Rocky McKenzie who hold their own really well against the seasoned performers. Dingo carries the film and gives a fabulous performance in what is a purposely corny contrived plot. The contrivances worked superbly with a live audience but I am not sure if a film audience will enjoy it. Wisely the director has kept the film character driven rather getting carried away with location. .The only jarring note is Missy Higgins who seems wooden and uncomfortable. I have always found her to be a mediocre singer but she is an even worse actress. Still there is plenty to enjoy in the feel good musical. I warn you it is contrived but that's its charm and there is plenty of energy in the film. Rocky McKenzie is a real scene stealer and one of the most delightful young actors I have seen

I'm beginning to lose faith in the IMDb reviews I read in here. People are being awfully generous scoring this film 10 out of 10 and calling it "the best movie I've ever seen".To me it's a flawed work of great unfulfilled potential.The trailer, on the other hand is excellent!I would have enjoyed this film more if: * It could have chosen on genre and stuck to it. * I could have understood the lyrics to more of the songs (I'm sure they were very clever, but the sound mix was not the best). * There was a reason for Magda's character to be in it. * They gave a reason why everyone was arrested. * The film maker could add some punchlines to some of the potentially funny moments. * They showed more of the country than just the one, dusty red stretch of road. Having said that, I do agree that it is still one of the better Australian films of the past few years.I just wish the film makers would spend more time in the editing room and less time on IMDb writing reviews...