THE ROOSTER, Australia, 2023. Starring Phoenix Raei, Hugo Weaving, John Waters, Rhys Mitchell. Directed by Mark Leonard Winter. 101 minutes. Rated MA (Strong themes, coarse language and suicide references)
There are some actual roosters; and there are some eerie roosters seen in nightmares in this film. And, the rooster can stand as some kind of symbol for the two central characters, Dan (Raei) and The Hermit (Weaving).
This is the feature film writing and directing debut from actor Winter. In his performances, he is frequently dark and brooding. And he has brought these qualities to this film – dramatic and sometimes comic.
The setting is a small, isolated bush town in the Macedon Ranges outside Melbourne. It has only one middle-aged policeman Dan, whose sad past is gradually revealed. We see him driving around, a rather remote shed-office, sometimes visited by the regional police chief, a brief welcome cameo from veteran, Waters. Dan keeps chickens and the rooster. And he has the dreams, repeated, a mysterious naked woman carrying a rooster, and a body hanging from a tree. . . Some premonitions of what is to come.
When a friend of Dan’s, with mental difficulties and parents hostile to Dan, is killed, the man’s wandering dog leads Dan to the grave. But this also leads him further into the bush, coming across another remote house, and encountering Tim, also known as Mit, which is from his nickname, The Hermit.
While Raei gives a convincing performance as Dan, and our sympathies are with him, Weaving, takes over the screen, as the dynamics of the story, another sad past is gradually revealed. There are suggestions of something sinister but is this just speculation on Dan’s part, on the audience’s part?
The Rooster shows Weaving at his screen best, reminding us that he has top line films and television series for decades. He can make each character he portrays real and convincing.
This is a film about men – sad men who become friends, but also wary of each other. The symbol of the growing friendship, apart from alcohol, is The Hermit’s continued invitation to Dan to play table tennis.
The film is sometimes brooding, sometimes funny with many sad stories and sad pasts, and the discovery of how much a friendship can change the friends, coming to terms with the past, some moments of happiness.
Bonsai Films
Released 22 February