- Starring
- Leah Purcell, Sam Reid, Rob Collins
- Writer
- Leah Purcell
- Director
- Leah Purcell
- Rating
- n/a
- Running Time
- 109 minutes
- Release Date
- n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
This will be one of many reviews during this year’s SXSW Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.
There are films that fail to realize their full potential. It’s clear to see the kind of film it could be but for one reason or another, it never quite happens. The Drover’s Wife or The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, based on the short story of the same name by Henry Lawson, is one of those films. Lifted by some truly beautiful Australian scenery and a strong performance from the film’s star, writer, and director Leah Purcell as the film’s titular character, the film can’t quite recover from a slow start and a convoluted narrative, creating an emotional disconnect that makes it a dull watch more often than not. Though the pieces are there, albeit a few too many of them, they couldn’t quite come together in a satisfying way. The story of course follows Molly Johnson (Purcell), a drover’s wife and bushwoman who is struggle to raise her children and run her farm while her husband is away.
When it comes to The Drover’s Wife, there is certainly more to that and Johnson’s story and the film foreshadows just as much. The struggle was definitely real as the film was ultimately at its best whenever it focused on Johnson and her story, it was just a shame that it didn’t stay with her enough as her story suffered as a result of a few too many dull side characters. The story was building up to something but that slow start lessened its impact whenever the story finally got going because it was just hard to care at that point. Nevertheless, Purcell still brings it at Johnson, showing range as a stoic woman who has clearly been through some things and the pain was there. While she showed strength on the outside, she didn’t have a choice, she also cared for her children.
In the end, for those looking for an adventure, The Drover’s Wife may hit the right spot.
still courtesy of Memento Films International
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
