Nitram

Here's a film nobody really anticipated - the life of Martin Bryant in the months prior to him killing 35 people in Tasmania in 1996. The film is very careful not to mention him - his name isn't uttered once, hence the anadrome of the title (see: Trebor mints or the Harpo production company). Director Justin Kurzel says he was "incredibly scared" of the script when he first got it, and the film was shot in Victoria to avoid rubbing local rawness if shot in Tassie. The previously linked Guardian article by Kelly Burke details the understandable reasons some people have for objecting to the existence of Nitram. While I see their point entirely, I reckon it's an important film as it deals with a part of our recent history that most of us would rather forget. No harm in picking open some old scars, checking what's inside.

Caleb Landy Jones, as the lead, is superb, not least because he's a Texan doing a perfect cover version of a maladjusted, Aussie skegg from the 90s. All the main players are excellent - Judy Davis as Mum (who has the great final shot of the film), Anthony LaPaglia as Dad, and Essie Davis as the reclusive Helen, who befriends Nitram. Though this relationship seems fanciful, some net research shows most of the events are depicted accurately, but it's probably best to watch the film and then do some post-viewing googling if you're so inclined.

During the film, the creeping sense of dread is ever-present, especially if you're old enough to remember what happened that day. I'd imagine you'd feel it, even if you're completely unaware of the story, as the set-up is solidly outlined, from the opening scene of (the real) Nitram in hospital as a child talking about the fireworks scrape that put him in there, to the scenes of him being prescribed medicine, to his awkward family exchanges. There's to be no gratification at the end of this, and the script cleverly lays that out for us. 

The angle, I suppose you'd call it, is the ease with which Nitram was able to come by his weaponry, once he'd developed the idea to slaughter (incidentally, it's suggested here that the slightly earlier Dunblane massacre was the driving motivator). The 'sharp intake of breath' scene of him gormlessly obtaining guns and ammo in a shop (and the staff overlooking his lack of licenses) is the key to the filmmakers' position. The end title cards noting that there are more guns in Australia now than pre-1996 is a bit of a rude shock.

A difficult film to watch but, if you can come to an agreement with your moral compass, it's definitely worth your time.

Nitram opens at the Luna and Palace cinemas on Sep 30th.

See also:

Rowan Woods' The Boys (1998) also deals with the build up to a real life Aussie crime, and Tilda Swinton takes on the role that Judy Davis seems set for at the end of Nitram in Lynne Ramsay's excellent We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011).