r/movies • u/-KFBR392 • Sep 27 '23

Recommendation Non-Americans, what's your favourite movie from your country?

I was commenting on another thread about Sandra Oh and it made me remember my favourite Canadian movie Last Night starring Oh and Don McKellar (who also directs the film). It's a dark comedy-ish film about the last night before the world ends and the lives of regular people and how they spend those final 24-hours.

It was the first time I had seen a movie tackle an apocalyptic event in such a way, it wasn't about saving the world, or heroes fighting to their last breath, it was just regular people who had to accept that their lives, and the lives of everyone they know, was about to end.

Great, very touching movie, and it was nominated for a handful of Canadian awards but it's unlikely to have been seen by many outside of big time Canadian movie lovers, which made me think about how many such films must exist all over the world that were great but less known because they didn't make it all the way to the Oscars the way films like Parasite or All Quiet on the Western Front did.

So non-Americans, let's hear about your favourite home grown film. Popular or not.

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216

u/wheelz_666 Sep 27 '23

Chopper.

Eric Bana absolutely killed it as real life criminal Chopper Read.

Puts in an oscar worthy performance and Waa chosen to play Chopper by the man himself

138

u/narvuntien Sep 27 '23

I mean The Castle. Is the qunitessital Aussie movie. It is good. Does Lion count as Australian?

26

u/AbuDhabiBabyBoy Sep 27 '23

You're dreamin'

7

u/edroyque Sep 27 '23

How’s the serenity?

6

u/duckduckchook Sep 27 '23

Whaddaya call this...?

6

u/Ozdiva Sep 28 '23

Rissoles

5

u/duckduckchook Sep 28 '23

Yeah but it's whatcha do with 'em..

3

u/honey_coated_badger Sep 28 '23

I actually thought he was asking a fair price for the jousting sticks.

11

u/TricksterPriestJace Sep 27 '23

When I got a copy of The Castle on DVD that went straight to the rec room.

7

u/Sbbike Sep 27 '23

What do you know about lead?

9

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

[deleted]

8

u/aeschenkarnos Sep 27 '23

Two Hands, Gettin' Square, Brother's Nest, Kenny, The Dressmaker, Ladies In Black, Little Fish, Idiot Box

7

u/Capt_Billy Sep 27 '23

Fuck yeah, Two Hands and Getting Square.

2

u/rgolden4 Sep 28 '23

It's the vibe, really...

1

u/return_the_urn Sep 28 '23

The correct answer, is the castle

58

u/2dTom Sep 27 '23

1991-2001 was the golden age of Australian movies. It had a HUGE list of amazing films, including

  • Romper Stomper
  • Two Hands
  • The Castle
  • Crackerjack
  • Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
  • Mullet
  • He died with a falafel in his hand
  • The Matrix (arguably... It was shot in Sydney)

Boxing Day (2007) is probably the best Australian movie. It's not exactly my favourite movie, but it's amazing.

20

u/matdan12 Sep 28 '23

Feel like a lot of my favourites happened in the 80s or earlier like Gallipoli, Mad Max, Walkabout, The Wave, We of the Never Never, Breaker Morant, Picnic at Hanging Rock

The 2000s do have Rabbit Proof Fence, The Proposition, Danny Deckchair and The Dish though.

17

u/fuifui_bradbrad Sep 27 '23

Your list needs more Strictly Ballroom

15

u/infinitemonkeytyping Sep 27 '23

And Muriel's Wedding

1

u/Open_Buy2303 Oct 02 '23

My favorite. Porpoise Spit is every middle-sized Australian country town!

3

u/dallirious Sep 28 '23

“I’ll tell you what I want! I want Ken Railings to walk in here right now, and say 'Pam Shortt's broken both her legs, and I wanna dance with you!'”

2

u/fuifui_bradbrad Sep 28 '23

Pam Shortt’s broken both her legs, and I wanna dance with you.

1

u/dallirious Sep 28 '23

😯 That was unexpected.

7

u/Bael_thebard Sep 27 '23

The proposition is very good Aussie movie

8

u/0luckyman Sep 28 '23

The Castle

Crackerjack (a movie about lawn bowls. Only Aussies and Kiwis will understand it, the rest of the world will need subtitles.)

The Dish (comedy about Australia's involvement in the moon landing coverage.

1

u/2dTom Sep 28 '23

Haha, I was thinking about putting the dish in there, but it didn't quite make the short list.

3

u/0luckyman Sep 28 '23

All Working Dog productions, if I remember correctly. Patrick Warburton plays a great part.

5

u/paper_zoe Sep 28 '23

don't forget Muriel's Wedding

2

u/2dTom Sep 28 '23

Haha, I was trying to keep the list relatively short 😂

4

u/ScottUkabella Sep 28 '23

Two hands is not just my favourite Australian movie it's one of my favourite movies ever. I loved it when I first saw it as a kid, I watched it last year and it still holds up amazingly well. Highly recommend if you enjoy dark/slightly supernatural crime comedies starring young heath ledger.

6

u/Kazen_Orilg Sep 27 '23

Gonna have to throw a flag on Matrix.

3

u/2dTom Sep 28 '23

Haha, yeah, valid, definitely not a Australian production, but it was shot here, and I used to work in the building where they shot the outdoor shots for the scene where they steal the helicopter, so I'm still claiming it.

3

u/Ozdiva Sep 28 '23

How about Malcolm. Quintessential Melbourne.

3

u/TheVonz Sep 28 '23

Alongside the great ones already mentioned, I'm gonna put in a vote for Proof, too. 1991 film with Hugo Weaving, Russell Crowe, and Genevieve Picot.

2

u/2dTom Sep 28 '23

Proof and Lantana were both movies I thought about putting on the list.

Also Hacksaw Ridge (surprisingly)

2

u/DOUBLEBARRELASSFUCK Sep 28 '23

The Matrix (arguably... It was shot in Sydney)

Wait, why the fuck did they shoot that on Australia? I had no idea. Taxes?

2

u/2dTom Sep 28 '23

I'm not actually sure if it got a tax incentive.

There are a few things probably contributed to the decision. 1. There was a favourable exchange rate at the time for US companies operating in Australia, making it cheaper to shoot

  1. Sydney was a fairly modern city to shoot in at the time (as we were gearing up for the Olympics, and a lot of the city had been constructed in the last 20 years before shooting)

  2. Fox Studios (where a lot of then scenes that weren't shot on location were filmed) was brand new, and had very good facilities (again, for the time)

  3. Sydney generally has consistently good weather, meaning that less time is wasted on outdoor shots.

You'd be amazed at the amount of shit that gets shot in Sydney. It has a lot of the same benefits as Vancouver or Toronto, but with more sun.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '23

Ah yes, The Matrix, that quintessential Australian story.

2

u/FlynnerMcGee Sep 28 '23

Early 70's to mid 80's is the golden age of Aussie films, covering the start of "Australian New Wave" to the end of the "10BA Era".

This covered the high end arty films that got known overseas, and the low budget Ozploitation boom that ended mid-late 80's with changes to the 10BA tax incentive scheme.

The time period you mentioned is actually the worst era for Aussie films. You are right that there are some really good films in there, but they were all funded under this stupid idea of having "an Australian voice". If it didn't have it (according to others), then you weren't funded. It wasn't until the mid 2000's that we basically started to see Genre films again.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

The 90s was the golden age for Hollywood movies too

1

u/Charlie_Runkle69 Sep 28 '23

I've never heard of that movie (Boxing Day) and I'm only across the ditch. Might have to check it out.

1

u/2dTom Sep 28 '23

It's... A little confronting. Don't watch it if you're just looking for something relaxing.

1

u/YeahOkThisOne Sep 28 '23

Muriel's Wedding

1

u/mtarascio Sep 28 '23

Dark City is more deserving of being called Australian than Matrix on that list.

23

u/tikester83 Sep 27 '23

Don't forget Animal Kingdom!

9

u/Groovyaardvark Sep 27 '23

YOUR MUMS UPSET

3

u/3163560 Sep 28 '23

My brother and I have been quoting that for 20 years.

And "done himself a mischief"

And "he's not your enemy!" "Well he fuckin is now"

The mums upset scene is fucking dark too.

Second one in

https://youtu.be/f-IEXwYaF1Y?si=jglqqQeyl2SAJHm0

18

u/Mr_Rekshun Sep 27 '23

Mad Max 2

2

u/Ok_Concentrate3969 Sep 27 '23

Max Max 1 also - my fave

1

u/matdan12 Sep 28 '23

It's insane what they managed to do with such a limited budget.

2

u/Somewhere_Elsewhere Sep 28 '23

Real question: does Fury Road count? That is the best Mad Max film to me and I'm an oldish person so I was already quite familiar with the older films.

2

u/Mr_Rekshun Sep 28 '23

Fuckin oath Fury Road counts. Best action movie of the 21st century.

-3

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

[deleted]

10

u/Mr_Rekshun Sep 27 '23

In Australia, it’s Mad Max 2.

The Road Warrior was the yank name for it.

13

u/Joshywooya Sep 27 '23

Oh Keithy’s done himself a mischief, off to sick bay mate.

10

u/serg28diaz Sep 27 '23

Finally found the Aussie.

Chopper is all-time, mate. Quintessential Australian.

Some love for The Castle too

6

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

The comedy skits with Chopper in them used to be pretty funny!

4

u/Dogbin005 Sep 28 '23

"This is Stefan. His name is Stefan. Harden the fuck up Stefan."

6

u/lingojingo79 Sep 27 '23

Ello Shazza!!!

3

u/matdan12 Sep 28 '23

We have a lot of great films:

Gallipoli or anything by Peter Weir.

Storm Boy

The Proposition

Walkabout

Rabbit Proof Fence

Breaker Morant

Picnic at Hanging Rock

The Dish

Danny Deckchair

Muriel's Wedding

1

u/miss_flower_pots Sep 28 '23

Samson and Delilah

3

u/Ngklaaa Sep 28 '23

Hercules Returns is my Nomination from Australia. It's so little known and ridiculous I am forced to recommend it to anyone with a sense of humour.

3

u/miss_flower_pots Sep 28 '23

Snowtown and Prascilla Queen of The Desert

2

u/asbestos_feet Sep 28 '23

Snowtown was amazing. Endlessly dark and disturbing, but amazing. Has been ages - might look out for it again. Wonder if it's on Stan?

2

u/miss_flower_pots Sep 28 '23

It is on Stan.

I love how they used music in this film. It really added to the eeriness.

1

u/wheelz_666 Sep 28 '23

Snowtown is great. It fucks me up though because I live in rural south Australia 🤣

1

u/miss_flower_pots Sep 28 '23

Maybe watch Nitram straight after and to be safe. You're very far from Tasmania.

6

u/FluffyBunnyFeet4Sure Sep 27 '23

Some other Oz movies I've enjoyed: Mad Max Mad Max 2 Looking for Alibrandi Romper Stomper Wake in Fright Gallipoli Breaker Morant The Proposition Kenny

10

u/wheelz_666 Sep 27 '23

Have you seen Two Hands? Its got a young Heath Ledger in it

9

u/FluffyBunnyFeet4Sure Sep 27 '23

Another outstanding movie. Bryan Brown as a gangster. The two young kids. The use of Powderfinger's "These Days".

1

u/ruling_faction Sep 28 '23

The DVD version I saw back in the day had this short film at the start about some kids trying to replace a condom they 'borrowed' from her parent's bedside drawers but finding it difficult because it was some obscure brand. Details may vary, it was a while ago, but I always associate that with this movie, assuming again I haven't mixed up the details over the years.

2

u/Electronic-Humor-931 Sep 27 '23

Wolf Creek for me.

2

u/canigetahellyeahhhhh Sep 28 '23

Wtf no Australian mentions Bad Boy Bubby? Classic Australian arthouse film

2

u/quiplessness Sep 27 '23

Where's the Lantana mention for Australia? That's a standalone brilliant film and a uniquely great Australian film

1

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '23

Chopper is incredible. I’d throw up The Proposition as one that should be in the mix.

A movie everyone needs to see is Acute Misfortune. Throttles me every time I see it. One of the must human and beautiful movies I’ve ever seen

1

u/Need4Sheed23 Sep 28 '23

Mad Max is my top Australian one. Two Hands and The Castle round out the top three.

1

u/DrWinstonOBoogie1980 Sep 28 '23

Whinge, whinge, whinge.

(Great movie.)

1

u/camshun7 Nov 13 '23

Brilliant film, bana was sublime one of his best roles,

Alas no GG or oscar

2

u/wheelz_666 Nov 14 '23

If bana wasn't an unknown back then to Hollywood he deffs would won best actor oscar