Who Plays Who?

Ben Mendelsohn Sophie Lowe Rachel Griffiths Bryan Brown Maeve Dermody Scott O'Donnell Josh McFarlane Robbie Clissold Scott O'Donnel Daniel Gill Eve Burner Daniel Binks Heloise Baker Briony Kent JJohn Clark Susie Boyaci Erin Potter Blind Dog Taylor

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Ned Kate Sally Bruce Toni Young Ned Cliff Andy Cromer Ned (16yo) Ned (14yo) Kate (6yo) Cliff (8yo) Sally (6/8yo) Tamarat Priest Emily (Mum) Kate(14yo) The Band

The Rugged Outback Location For Beautiful Kate For years the Flinders Ranges have drawn visitors from far and wide. The appeal is the unique beauty of this landscape with its indigenous history, ancient geological formations, rich colours and textures, open spaces, clear air and abundant wildlife. The Flinders Ranges are home to nearly half of South Australia’s 3100 plant species, more than 120 bird, 86 reptile and 20 mammal species. The vibrant colours of the 800 million year old quartzite and limestone outcrop that is the Flinders are truly spectacular. Amidst the vibrant colours of the 800 million year old quartzite and limestone outcrop that is the Flinders Ranges lies Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheatre 17km long and 7km wide. Shaped by the weathering and uplifting of land over time, this place has strong significance to the indigenous Adnyamathanha people. Located just to its east, you’ll discover Wilpena Pound Resort, the perfect base for exploring this diverse and fascinating region. A new addition to the Anthology collection, Wilpena Pound Resort will undergo extensive refurbishment that will enhance the experience for guests for years to come. A great way to see Wilpena Pound is from the air. This puts it into perspective and enables you to appreciate the vastness of its formation. Scenic flights operate daily from the Wilpena Pound Airstrip. For more information click the next Flinders Ranges link below, then contact your travel agent or the South Australian Tourism Commission. © Wilpena Pound Flinders Ranges images courtesy of South Australian Tourism Commission. The Inside Story Set in the Australian outback, and filmed on location in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges and Adelaide, "Beautiful Kate" is described by writer and director Rachel Ward, as 'a gothic love story'. Based on the novel by American author Newton Thornburg, Rachel first read the book many years ago, but it wasn’t until three years ago that she revisited the novel, and reacquainted herself with the story, "I figured that it’s hard enough to come up with a story let alone structure a script, so if you’re going to bother making a movie and go down that road which is long and fraught with obstacles, you better start with a bloody good story!" The world of "Beautiful Kate" inspired her because it went beyond the overly reproduced Romeo and Juliet love story scenarios, to a different kind of taboo love. As Rachel says "how do you find a believable love story today where two people are genuinely prevented from being together? That kind of story is hard to find unless you’re living in the depth of a civil war zone." Originally "Beautiful Kate" was set in 1970 Idaho, USA, with much of the novel seen through flashbacks set in the 60s. 2001 AFI Best Short Fiction Film Award winner Ward ("The Big House") updated and moved the novel to Australia, set it in the modern day with flashbacks to the 80s. When writing the screenplay Ward envisioned Australia as the setting for this story "one of the themes is going through puberty in isolation and what better place than the Australian outback, to explore that theme?" She was keen to avoid making an urban gritty drama like so many current Australian films. For two time AFI Award winner Rachel Griffiths ("Muriel's Wedding" & "Six Feet Under" 2006), who plays Sally, this was part of the appeal of coming on board the project, "in this movie there’s this element that the bush is not what it was. There’s been no rain, it’s on hard times, it’s post climate change, it’s not riding the sheep’s back into glory. I found that really interesting to compare the two Australia’s of past and present. We get a sense of thirty years ago, where we were and how we lived on the land and that sense of dying communities and increasing isolation of bush communities, I think isolation is a really great character in this." The script was three years in development and went through endless drafts. After the first years work, the script was scrapped and Rachel began work again with a new script editor. After a further two years, her husband Bryan Brown finally deemed it was ready to seek investors. Brown admits that "it’s a battle at times to try and get what you want on the page. I know for Rachel it was frustrating , it’s also frustrating at times from my point of view where I can feel it’s not necessarily there on the page yet, and have to tell her it’s more work, but that’s all part of the process, especially if you going to end up with a good script." When the two felt they might kill each other if they didn’t bring on a third party, Ward approached co-producer Leah Churchill-Brown, having seen and been impressed with her previous feature film "Suburban Mayhem". "I read the script and I loved it.I was completely engaged by the way the story unfolded. It was nothing like Suburban Mayhem, which was much darker. Beautiful Kate is a far more evocative and romantic script," he said. Once Leah boarded the project it took her and Brown two years to get the film financed. Churchill-Brown and Ward took it to SPAAmart where they met with Roadshow, the Australian and New Zealand distributors, and another funding market in Victoria, 37 South where they found their international sales agent Tom Strudwick from The Works. Funding fell into place when the FFC came on board with a letter of intent. Churchill-Brown found the experience of co-producing with Brown a very collaborative one. "It’s great having another producer to share responsibility with and Bryan has the most amazing financial head. He is a great financial problem solver. I like to think of myself as having an easier touch with people whereas he is straight down the line. Plus he has so much more experience." "Beautiful Kate" spans decades and a lot of the film is told in flashback, this meant having two actors for each key role. Finding the right cast was always going to be difficult however casting the lead role of Ned, for director Rachel Ward was clear, "Ben Mendelsohn just is Ned and in a way the choice was so obvious that I was scared of it." 1987 AFI Best Supporting Actor Award winner Mendelsohn ("The Year My Voice Broke") responded immediately to the script and liked the way that Rachel handled the provocative material. "Ned is a great character because he is someone that is significantly conflicted. Rach is extremely supportive and I think she is able to handle this material with a deft touch. It’s a pretty full on story and that’s part of what is so attractive about the whole thing: but it’s handled and written in a very good manner." 1987 Tokyo International Film Festival Best Actress Award winner Ward ("The Umbrella Woman") had always wanted two time AFI Award Best Supporting Actor Brown ("Breaker' Morant" 1980 & "Two Hands" 1999) to play the role of Bruce but Brown felt differently about it. "The funny thing about that is that if I had read the script, or it had come by me, my initial reaction would have been that I wasn’t old enough to play Bruce. I thought it was a good role but I didn’t necessarily see me as the actor to play Bruce." What were his reservations? "I think that’s basically because when we meet Bruce he’s coming to the end of his life. He’s carrying a lot of, I don’t know if bitterness is the right word, but he’s got a fair amount of baggage. But Rachel had determined that I was right for the role, so there were enough arguments about the script, there was no time to start arguing about me playing Bruce so I just copped it. As it so happened I really enjoyed playing Bruce, but it took me a long time to come to terms with being able to play him." For 2002 Golden Globe winner Rachel Griffiths (TV'S "Six Feet Under") taking on the role of Sally was a mixture of Rachel Ward’s passion for the project, filming in the Flinders Ranges and the opportunity to work with Ben Mendelsohn again. "The first time I met Rachel she had this incredible book of images and textures and I could see she was so clear in her vision of the movie she wanted to make. I think that gave me permission to not have to worry about the big picture; I could just focus on what I was doing." Griffiths who previously appeared with Mendelsohn in "Cosi" & "Amy" found two aspects of her character she could really explore. "One was that I really love the Flinders, the land, and the environment. I was staying on a station where I met a girl who had grown up in that place, and she had such a strong sense of her land, and her sense of place, and she said that when she’s away from it, she just closes her eyes and goes back to that sense of place. So I really wanted to explore that, about how much place is a character for somebody. And secondly I really love my brother, and that’s not hard to get to because I love Ben so much, so I knew that would be really easy. It’s the third time I’ve worked with Ben and it just gets more and more fun." With the lead adult roles filled, Rachel, Bryan and Leah had the difficult task of casting the younger leads. They would face some gruelling casting challenges. "Beautiful Kate" marks Sophie Lowe’s feature film debut as an actress after appearing in three short films: "Kindle", "He. She. It" and "The Mirage". When Sophie, who plays Kate, walked out of the audition room she knew she must have done something right as she recalls, "my audition was weird, I just remember Rachel looking at me really weirdly and then when I walked out the door she was almost following me and I thought oh cool, that must be a good thing, and it was!" How did the nineteen year old react when she found out she had the part? "I went through about seven emotions. I started crying and then I was happy crying and then sad crying, I don’t really remember what went through my head, it’s just so surreal, it’s still surreal." Lowe revealed she found the role of Kate quite a challenge, ‘Kate’s crazy and confident and I’ve always wanted to play a role like that. Kate changes into a woman in the film. She starts her period and all that stuff that every girl goes through but without her mother it’s a bit harder, she doesn’t have anyone to talk to and no one to tell her that she’s alright, so she latches on to her brother to help make her feel normal." Josh McFarlane who plays Cliff was delighted to get the role as it’s a character that he very much relates to. "I think I am quite similar to Cliff, he is a pretty level headed guy and I think I am a pretty level headed guy as well. I guess he has little sensitive streaks which I can also see in myself." Although Rachel auditioned about sixty boys alongside Sophie to find the perfect younger Ned, she had immediately wanted to cast Scott O’Donnell when she saw a photograph of him. "I thought there was something special about him right away but he kept missing his auditions and then we couldn’t find him. At the last minute I had a phone call from him and he sounded great, so I took a punt and flew him into Adelaide to test him for the character of young Ned." O’Donnell vivedly recalls the moment he got the part, "I’d finished my audition and drove back to the airport and got on the plane. I was just about to go to sleep and someone grabbed my arm and I freaked out because I thought I was in trouble. This lady goes, 'Scott O’Donnell', and I said "yeah" and she says, 'you’ve got to get off the plane!' I grabbed my stuff out of the top locker and everyone was looking at me like I was a terrorist or criminal, and then the lady said 'you have to call Bryan Brown immediately'. Then she walked me up to the terminal and left me there and I didn’t know where to go! I then got picked up from the airport and was told I’d got the part. I started freaking out really badly. I only had my clothes on me, that’s all I had. It was chaos, but great chaos: probably the best feeling I’ve ever had." With an enthusiastic young cast and a wonderful, experienced older cast in place the final pinnacle role to fill was that of Ned’s girlfriend, Toni, which is played by the very talented Maeve Dermody ("Black Water"). Brown was enthusiastic about the young actress. "She’s got a great character in Toni. In a lot of hands the character could have been annoying or cheap, but Maeve has really made her a very important part of the film. She’s a terrific young talent." Ward says she, "felt like the stars were aligned and something was on my side because those guys just fell into my lap. If just one of them hadn’t been there I don’t think the story would have worked as well." And the location? "I wanted to make a romantic movie. I wanted it to be beautiful. I love movies that lure people to exotic locations. Finding the Flinders Ranges and finding Wilpena Pound was exactly what I was looking for." Ward put a lot of faith in DOP Andrew Commis. His contribution is more than outstanding. The Verdict "At last an Australian film that one wants to rave about. The memories that haunt, not just Ned, but the surviving members of the Kendall family are both dark and disturbing. But, unlike more recent films, "Beautiful Kate", shot on location in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, is an exceptional example of how, when handled as sensitively as director/writer Rachel Ward has, thoroughly rewards cinemagoers with an experience that doesn't drag one down to the depths of despair. The cast are to say the least, bloody marvelous. Mendelsohn (get your hands on the dvd "Mullet" if you can) heads up a cast that is to be applauded for never missing a beat. These are some of the best, emotional performances seen in an Australian film for a long while. And that includes Baz Luhrmann's big budget "Australia", which by the way, Mendelsohn also appeared in. Ward is to be lauded for her strength, tenacity and vision in bringing this earthy, sexually explosive, tale to the big screen. Let's hope and pray that it attracts the audiences it deserves. This is one Australian film it would be a shame to miss! Very Recommended. 4 1/2 STARS." Synopsis

It happened twenty years ago. That last summer. Now Ned had driven halfway across the country to return to the one place that still haunts him. At fourty he's a successful writer, but he has no luck keeping women. And he's haunted by memories that have tortured him since he left the homestead he grew up on. The impetus for his visit is that his father Bruce is dying of congestive heart disease and has demanded his return. Ned's brought his twenty one year old fiancée, Toni, a sexy waitress and wannabe actress who knows nothing about Ned’s family and is surprised to learn of the existence of his congenital twin sister, Kate. When Toni finds Ned's notes, she's astonished by the revelations. Unable to cope with the shock, she flees back to the city leaving Bruce and Ned alone together. Past events become clearer to Ned and he realises, almost too late, that he has wrongly held his father responsible for what happened all those years ago. Seeing the truth for the first time, Ned is finally able to let go of his guilt.

What Do The Critics Say

"Gee it’s nice to see a clever Australian film. One that has finely drawn characters, tight dialogue and beautiful production design. A film that creeps into your thoughts for days on end and leaves you feeling slightly haunted. Beautiful Kate's strength is that it is a complex film with enormous unrest. It is more than a simple family drama or a mystery. Beautiful Kate is an unsettling film, but a truly excellent one. It will renew your faith in the Australian film industry. Don’t miss it." THE VINE "One thing you can say about the South Australian Film Corporation, they just love a good dysfunctional family. Once inhabiting Adelaide suburbs in claustrophobic kitchen sink dramas, they've now expanded to the country. "Beautiful Kate" has that in common with Lucky Country, and both have their dysfunctional families trapped in the distant outback. Fortunately Beautiful Kate is distinguished by the outstanding ensemble of actors, and resounding performances from Ben Mendelsohn and Bryan Brown. The film is directed with piquant fluency by Rachael Ward in her debut feature, making exemplary use of cinema technique with the confidence of a veteran." THE BLURB "Actress Rachel Ward’s debut feature is a handsome and intense love story, a gothic tale of buried guilt and family dysfunction set in Australia’s outback. With lashings of sex played out amidst long-buried secrets, Beautiful Kate is awash with Ward’s own spiky, brittle dialogue, delivered with relish by her cast. Mendelsohn is bleakly arrogant as the haunted, damaged writer, a potentially unsympathetic role. Maeve Dermody, as the ditzy fish out of water, and the dazzling, contained Sophie Lowe bring much-needed lightness to the gathering tragedy." Frank Hatherley SCREEN DAILY "This quite wonderful piece of cinema ventures into areas of family transgression that may not appeal to everyone. What distinguishes the film are the truly splendid performances from the whole cast, the intelligent screenplay and direction. Rachel Ward proved her mettle as writer/director with her short films and she really conquers the longer form. She’s not afraid of the dark and the film has been wonderfully shot by first time feature DOP Andrew Commis. 4 1/2 stars." Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES

"I saw this film twice, actually, and the second time I was just completely bowled over by the emotions in this film. It's a very strongly emotional film, with wonderful performances. I think Ben Mendelsohn is quite amazing; Maeve Dermody; Bryan Brown, it may be the best thing he's ever done. I don't know. Rachel Ward, in adapting this to the screen, has done an extraordinary transformation to make it so convincingly within an Australian outback setting. 4 1/2 stars." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES "Beautiful Kate is a brave and in-depth movie which deals with important and challenging topics. The acting is phenomenal and perfectly adapted by director, Rachel Ward. Ward has chosen a magnificent mix of music to proceed alongside striking acting, both of which encapsulates you into the tale whether you enjoy the storyline, or not. Beautiful Kate is an example of fabulous cinematography and is created for the mature art-house movie type; it may be a challenge for your regular movie goer. 4 stars." FEMAIL "Rachel Ward doesn't put a foot wrong in her feature debut as writer/director, transposing the American novel with consummate ease into an 'Australian story' because her instincts are right and it is not rooted in the culture of a country, but in the hearts of the characters. Maeve Darmody is strikingly effective as the sprightly girlfriend thrown into the deep end of Ned's family cobwebs. But it's Sophie Lowe who just about steals the film with a performance of extraordinary texture, subtlety and complexity." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE "Bouquets to Rachel Ward whose adept and sensitive screenplay and direction make this adaptation an emotional journey that resonates acutely. Ben Mendelsohn is perfect as Ned, the self-loathing writer haunted by whispers from the past and who is following his trail of wounds as he aches to come to terms with his demons. Ward opts for emotional understatement and it works. This is a beautiful film and a fitting feature debut for a multi-talented writer and director whose next project we eagerly anticipate." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

The Production Team

Director Screenplay Adapted from Producers Cinematography Film Editing

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Rachel Ward Rachel Ward the novel by Newton Thornburg Bryan Brown & Leah Churchill-Brown Andrew Commis Veronika Jenet

Run Time 101 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] ©2009 - Roadshow Films - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 All Rights Reserved - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark laws applied.