New Australian movies in 2021 in Cinema & on VOD
Top movies up for release in 2021 in cinema and on VOD
Penguin Bloom
DIRECTOR: Glendyn Ivin CAST: Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln & Jacki Weaver Cameron Bloom (Andrew Lincoln) is a photographer that is finding life a bit hard when tending to his wife Sam (Naomi Watts) and dealing with her paralysis caused by a family boating trip. Hope seems low until the family decides to take in an injured Magpie chick and nurse the bird back to health. Through their love of animals, a new sense of love emerges in this tender drama based on the book by Bradley Trevor Greive. Read more
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High Ground
DIRECTOR: Stephen Johnson CAST: Simon Baker, Jacob Junior Nayinggul & Jack Thompson The Aboriginal man Gutjuk finds himself in a dire situation where the future of his family is at stake. In need of great help to track down his uncle, Baywara, considered one of the most dangerous men in all the land, Gutjuk seeks the services of the ex-soldier Travis in his adventures. This thrilling action story set in 1930s Australia comes from director Stephen Johnson and stars Simon Baker, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, and Jack Thompson. Read more
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Poor Boy
DIRECTOR: Guy Pearce CAST: Guy Pearce, Carice van Houten & Frances O'Connor Two families find themselves drawn together by the events of their pasts. Mysteriously linked, the families go through a wealth of experiences that shape their lives, from loving relationships and hopeful spirituality to the pains of grief and confronting the ugly truth. Secrets are unearthed and lies are learned as their journey self-questioning reaches a bittersweet and emotional conclusion. This dramatic tale of family features a cast that includes Guy Pearce, Frances O'Connor, Richard Roxburgh, and more. Read more
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My First Summer
DIRECTOR: Katie Found CAST: Markella Kavenagh, Maiah Stewardson & Edwina Wren The isolated Claudia has found life hard to deal with after the death of her mother. She has lived a life closed off from the rest of the world. She hadn’t counted on falling in love until the free-spirited Grace showed up on her front lawn. The two teenagers connect and find themselves loving each other. Soon to be adults, they question just how far their love can go in a world they’re both not prepared for. This romantic drama of teen angst and lesbian love comes from writer/director Katie Found (The Widow) and features a cast that includes Arthur Angel, Markella Kavenagh, and Steve Mouzakis. Read more
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Mortal Kombat
DIRECTOR: Simon McQuoid CAST: Joe Taslim, Ludi Lin & Mehcad Brooks A failing boxer uncovers a family secret that leads him to a mystical tournament called Mortal Kombat where he meets a group of warriors who fight to the death in order to save the realms from the... Read more
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Best Australian movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ or DVD in 2021
2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and the 2010's best rated Australian movies out on DVD, Bluray or streaming on VOD (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ & More).Babyteeth
DIRECTOR: Shannon Murphy CAST: Eliza Scanlen, Ben Mendelsohn & Essie Davis Milla (Eliza Scanlen) is a teenager struggling with a serious illness that leaves her not long to live in this world. Sensing an early end to her life, she seeks the love of the drug dealer Moses (Toby Wallace), much to the dismay of her parents, Anna (Essie Davis) and Henry (Ben Mendelsohn). What follows is a bittersweet coming-of-age dramedy by director Shannon Murphy (On the Ropes) and adapted from the novel of the same title by Rita Kalnejais. Read more
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Ride Like a Girl
DIRECTOR: Rachel Griffiths CAST: Teresa Palmer, Sam Neill & Sullivan Stapleton The inspiring true story of Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. Even though you'll know exactly how this film ends, it's very moving anyway. Read more
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Babytheeth
DIRECTOR: Shannon Murphy CAST: Eliza Scanlen, Ben Mendelsohn & Essie Davis Milla is a girl in her teens with a very serious illness who has nothing to lose anymore. When she starts to date the reckless drug dealer Moses, her parents are very troubled at first. However, with Moses in Milla's life, things start to cheer up finally. Read more
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Sweet Country
DIRECTOR: Warwick Thornton CAST: Bryan Brown, Luka Magdeline Cole, Shanika Cole, Matt Day It's not the first Australian Western, but it's definitely a good one. It's the 1920, the Norther Territory. An aboriginal kills a white man in self-defense, and a group of cowboys gathers to hunt him down. Read more
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The Nightingale
DIRECTOR: Jennifer Kent CAST: N/A Besides being one of our favorite recent movies from Down Under, 'The Babadook' is actually one of our favorite 21st century horror flicks too. So obviously were pretty excited for director Jennifer Kent's new film 'The Nightingale'. Taking place in Tasmania 1823, it tells the tale of a young convict woman determined to avenge her the killing of her family. Read more
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Berlin Syndrome
DIRECTOR: Cate Shortland CAST: Teresa Palmer Max Riemelt Matthias Habich After the breathtaking WW2 drama 'Lore', Australian director Cate Shortland focusses on a story that takes once again place in Germany. So far the similarities. 'Berlin Syndrome' is a nerve-shredding psychological thriller about an Australian backpacker meeting the wrong guy in Berlin. After a romantic first night, she finds herself locked in in his apartment. Read more
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RATING: 83/100
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Hacksaw Ridge
DIRECTOR: Mel Gibson CAST: Andrew Garfield Sam Worthington Luke Bracey Hacksaw Bridge marks the glorious return of Mel Gibson as a director. This story, of a pacifist army surgeon at the Pacific Front during WWII, could have easily turned into a horribly sentimental war drama like Angelina Jolie's 'Unbroken'. But it didn't. One of the most powerful anti-war movies of this century so far! Read more
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RATING: 82/100
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Boys in the Trees
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Verso CAST: Toby Wallace Gulliver McGrath Mitzi Ruhlmann A promising debut by young Australian filmmaker Nicholas Verso. 'Boys in the trees' is an unnerving coming-of-age flick that evolves around a bunch of teenage skaters hanging out during a Halloween's night. As the night progresses, the teens get to know more about each other, their dreams, and most importantly, their fears. Read more
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RATING: 72/100
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Tracks
DIRECTOR: John Curran CAST: Mia Wasikowska Adam Driver Lily Pearl It’s easy to be cynical about Tracks. You could call it the Australian answer to Sean Penn’s beloved Into the Wild (2007), but with a happy ending. Like in that film, Tracks begins with a disillusioned twenty-something looking for redemption or whatever by leaving the civilized world. Films like these, which celebrate the romantic idea of going it alone, I usually don’t like. The lessons to be learned are too obvious. Tracks has Mia Wasikowska though, who plays Robyn, a young woman who’s fed up with everyone and everything, with a great mixture of stubbornness and serenity. Read more
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RATING: 72/100
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The Rocket
DIRECTOR: Kim Mordaunt CAST: Sitthiphon Disamoe Loungnam Kaosainam Suthep Po-ngam Director Kim Mourdant rose to fame as Australian documentary maker with a focus on South East Asia. The Rocket is her feature film debut, but it’s clear to see where she came from. The film, which takes place in Laos and has an all Laotian cast, is a brilliant and affectionate portrayal of rural South East Asian life and a gripping coming of age tale at the same time. Ahlo is a young boy who is believed to be cursed and bring bad luck. When the annual Rocket Festival is about to take of he is determined to take part in the dangerous competition in hopes of twisting his faith. Read more
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RATING: 73/100
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Satellite Boy
DIRECTOR: Catriona McKenzie CAST: David Gulpilil Cameron Wallaby Joseph Pedley Nicolas Roeg’s 1971 classic film The Walkabout set the standards for the Australian Aboriginal cinema. Ever since, Australian filmmakers have been fascinated by this nature vs. man theme; the traditional unspoiled way of living in the outback vs. the fast metropolitan life in cities like Melbourne and Sydney. Sattelite Boy, a cute but never too sentimental film about two aboriginal kids lost in the outback, places itself neatly in that tradition. Read more
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RATING: 66/100
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Hail
DIRECTOR: Amiel Courtin-Wilson CAST: Daniel P. Jones Leanne Letch Tony Markulin Hail is one of those films that is hard to pin down. Is it a fictionalized documentary, of documentary fiction? Well, what does it actually matter. Hail is a great film in the first place. An uncompromising, raw and poetic portrayal of Danny, an ex-convict. We follow Danny as he struggles to reconnect with his wife and his tendency to fall back into old habits. Cinematographer Germain McMicking deserves an honorable mention here, as Hail works visually overall. It’s the nightmarish images that evoke Danny’s tormented soul that’ll stick with you for a while. Read more
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RATING: 59/100
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Animal Kingdom
DIRECTOR: David Michôd CAST: James Frecheville Guy Pearce Joel Edgerton Director David Michôd already built up a reputation as a promising director after directing a few shorts and documentaries. With Animal Kingdom, his feature film debut, he really placed himself among Australia’s finest. Animal Kingdom is a raw and touching portrait of a young man who seems unable to escape from his family’s tight grip. J is a seventeen year old boy who just lost his mother who died by overdose. His grandmother, some sort of madre de familia of a degenerated, criminal family, adopts him. At first, his new family feels like a warm bath to J, but it soon becomes clear that he is all but free to do what pleases him. Read more
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RATING: 73/100
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The Rover
DIRECTOR: David Michôd CAST: Guy Pearce Robert Pattinson Scoot McNairy The Rover, David Michôd’s second feature after the acclaimed Animal Kingdom was met with high expectations long before it was released. Not in the first place because teeny hunk superstar Robert Pattinson was casted as one of the leads. It’s a visually stunning dystopian thriller, set in the outback of Australia (yes, Mad Max comes to mind) which tells the simple yet effective story of a hard boiled loner in pursuit of the men who stole his car. And yes, Robert Pattinson is absolutely capable of acting. Read more
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RATING: 64/100
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The Babadook
DIRECTOR: Jennifer Kent CAST: Essie Davis Noah Wiseman Daniel Henshall It might be hard to believe that one of the best and most original horror films of the decade so far is an Australian film. You don’t really associate sunny Down Under with dark gothic tales. And yet it’s true. The Babadook tells the story of a Amelia, young widow who has to cope with her six-year old son, a boy with a vivid imagination. After reading The Babadook, a disturbing storybook, the boy believes he and his mom are surrounded by some evil entity. Amelia, irritated at first by her son’s behaviour, soon begins to see glimpses of the Babadook too. The Babadook is a brilliant take on the well known haunted house theme , but this time the real horror hasn’t anything to do with the supernatural at all; the film merely works as an eerie exploration of trauma. Read more
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RATING: 68/100
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Jasper Jones
DIRECTOR: Rachel Perkins CAST: Hugo Weaving Angourie Rice Toni Collette Based on a classic Australian novel, 'Jasper Jones' tells the bittersweet tale of a young boy in 1965 trying to solve a murder mystery in a rural racist community. Read more
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RATING: 83/100
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Lion
DIRECTOR: Garth Davis CAST: Dev Patel Nicole Kidman Rooney Mara This film about an adopted Australian young man looking for his roots in his native India tends to melodrama often, but brings compelling storytelling and great acting performances all the same. Read more
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RATING: 75/100
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Now of course there are plenty interesting Australian films. There is a reason why these actors ended up in Tinseltown. When I visited the International Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium last year, I noticed that a considerable amount of films from Down Under were shown. Australian cinema is alive and always has been. A nice occasion to sum up the highlights of the last couple of years.
