It’s been a while since I reviewed a Christmas movie on Down Under Flix. Though billed a Stan ‘Original’, Christiaan Van Vuuren’s A Sunburnt Christmas (2020)— about an escaped convict who poses as Santa Clause and takes refuge on a farm teetering on foreclosure—is pretty boilerplate, sharing DNA with Christmas movies previously discussed here on DUF. Like Bush Christmas , it partners crooks and kids with both vested and mutual interests in an outback setting; like Crackers , characterization and performance are delivered in broad, splashy brush strokes. While the film isn’t a slog, and features likeable work from the talented Daniel Henshall and Tatiana Goode, there’s nothing special about this seasonal offering. While I suspect A Sunburnt Christmas will contract on repeat viewings, Henri Safran’s Storm Boy (1976) —for this viewer at least—only expands with each subsequent watch. With age, Greg Rowe’s deceptively simple performance becomes richer, Peter Cummins’ deceptiv...
Australia has an impressive and eclectic national cinema, but too often its films struggle to attract attention, receive brief theatrical runs, are ignored by audiences, and simply fall through the cracks. Down Under Flix was created to shine a light, show some love, and where necessary throw shade at obscure, forgotten, neglected, or under-appreciated Australian films