RAMS, Australia, 2020. Starring Sam Neill, Michael Caton, Miranda Richardson, Wayne Blair, Asher Keddie, Leon Ford, Will McNeil, Travis McMahon. Directed by Jeremy Sims. 118 minutes. Rated PG (Mild themes, violence and coarse language)
A story of two brothers who have not spoken for 40 years despite the fact that they live on adjacent properties. They breed sheep.
Cinemagoers with international interest will remember that there was a film of the same name, Rams, from Iceland in 2015. Characters and plot have been transferred to Western Australia. There is something grim about Icelandic landscapes and big bearded men, reminiscent of Vikings, hostile to each other. It is not quite so grim in the West Australian landscapes – even though there is a bushfire crisis at the end of the film.
While there are many stories about rival brothers, there is a particular focus here. An epidemic. As the film opens, there is a local Rams competition in the town of Mount Barker, down near Albany, a small community, rather close-knit (except for the brothers!). But, there are difficult times, one local is raising alpaca, another is considering moving. Prominent in the community is the official who judges the sheep, a migrant from England. At the end of the competition, one of the rams is discovered to have a contagious disease.
The more sympathetic brother, Colin (an affable if reserved bachelor, played in his inimitable way by Sam Neill), burns his flock. The less sympathetic brother, Les (gruff, slob in dress and behaviour, resentful that he did not get the inheritance that was given to his younger brother, Michael Caton) lets his flock be removed from the property. Everything in the sheds has to be disinfected. There is a fine supporting cast with the Wayne Blair and Asher Keddie.
The film has a go at government bureaucracy, a completely unsympathetic interfering officer who turns up regularly (Leon Ford) but has to be restrained by the more sympathetic Kat, the inspector (Miranda Richardson). He turns up again, interfering at the end, encouraging the audience to have a hiss and boo attitude towards him.
This all happens in summer. Then the screen notes that it is winter – and we see that Christmas is coming. However, Colin has a deep secret and is at pains to keep it quiet, even putting rotting prawns in his garbage bin to disguise the smell of sheep, and lots of spray around the house.
Ultimately, as always, the truth comes out. And, a bit more humanity with the brothers, some disappointment on the part of Kat and her experience with Colin.
Then come the bushfires, quite vividly presented, part of Australian consciousness. A trip to the mountains to the sea with the sheep – and the possibilities for Ray, comparatively, happy future.
An Australian yarn, an acknowledgment of farmers and their problems, and quite a lot of photos of sheep and flocks back in the pioneering days during the final credits.
Peter Malone MSC is an associate of Jesuit Media
Roadshow
Released 12 November