Lucky Miles - Session Times And Movie Reviews

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Lucky Miles

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It's 1990 and an Indonesian fishing boat abandons Iraqi and Cambodian refugees in a remote part of Western Australia. Whilst most are quickly caught by officials, three men with nothing in common but their misfortune and determination escape arrest and begin an epic journey into the heart of Australia. Pursued by an army reservist unit, our three heroes wander deeper in the desert, desperately searching for civilisation amongst the stones of the Pilbara.

Rated:	[ MA ] INFREQUENT STRONG COARSE LANGUAGE
Cinema release:	19 Jul 2007
Director:	Michael James Rowland
Running time:	101 mins
Stars:	Kenneth Moraleda, Glenn Shea, Rodney Afif, Srisacd Sacdpraseuth
Links:	IMDb Rotten Tomatoes

What we say

Survival in the outback

Georgia Sholl, MovieFix
3 star rating

"Lucky Miles" is a quirky yarn with its heart in the right place.

Set in remote Western Australia in the 1990s, this is a story of determination, survival and absurdity which combines laconic Aussie humour with darker, political themes.

A boatload of illegal immigrants from Cambodia and Iraq are dropped on a stretch of Australian coastline and left to sort themselves out. This is no small task given their limited water and hand-drawn maps. Arun (Kenneth Moraleda), Youssif (Rodney Afif) and Ramelan (Srisacd Sacdpraseuth) are thrown together to attempt survival. An unlikely combination, their journey is punctuated by frustrations, farcical misadventures and falling-outs.

This Australian incarnation of the road movie is largely a success. It's funny and endearing, the characters generally likable. The Australian landscape puts on a good show - managing to be incredibly beautiful and rugged yet devastatingly inhospitable.

"Lucky Miles" tends to endorse some slightly outdated Australian characters. The dozy, slow-speaking policeman who would rather 'bung a shrimp on the barbie' than work is definitely someone we have met before. But does this character really exist today, other than as a beacon of cultural nostalgia? At times the characters feel one-dimensional and stereotypical. That said, culturally relevant or not, these are enjoyable individuals to spend a couple of hours with.

"Lucky Miles" could be shorter. It's a little convoluted and tends to drag in the second half, diluting some of its charm. For the most part it's an amusing, thought-provoking film that gently raises issues in Australia's recent history.

Human face to political crisis

Kerry Bashford, MovieFix
4 star rating

A group of Iraqi and Cambodian refugees land on a remote West Australian beach, assured by the Indonesian pirates and people smugglers who have brought them there that a bus will be along any minute to take them to Perth. Instead they find endless desert over the rise with the promised land promising nothing more than starvation and death unless they can find some form of sanctuary, or at the very least, asylum.

This first feature from Michael James Rowland is an ambitious attempt to address some of the issues of immigration that have plagued Australian politics for many years. It gives a human face to the crisis, and creates complexity where there is usually simplistic responses and knee-jerk xenophobia.

"Lucky Miles" takes you on detours through the map of the human heart, or at least the endless sprawl of desert. It is a triumph of parallel action, with several stories setting out and intersecting with intriguing possibilities. It never allows you to get bored with the journey and tells you much about where the characters are coming from. It is easy in the multicultural debate as in movie representation to cast non-English speaking characters in the same way but "Lucky Miles" refuses simple analysis. It covers considerable territory, fleshing out each individual with distinct personality traits. It also doesn't feel inclined to make each character likable despite the apparent nobility of their cause. This particularly applies to Rodney Afif who plays desperate asylum seeker Hazem al-Ayad. His mission blinds him to any humanity that he might have been refused himself in his homeland and he belligerently baits anyone who comes between him and his goal. Similarly Sri Sacdprascuth is an anomaly as the pirate stranded on the same shores as those he has abandoned, one of the more likeable of the characters despite his nefarious connections with people smuggling. But it is perhaps Kenneth Moraleda who has the purest voice and vision and the most uncomplicated dream, to find his father in Perth who long ago abandoned his mother. His purposeful trek through the desert naively following a bogus map is a poignant image in itself, one that grounds the story and stops it from getting lost on the byways of an ever convoluted story.

Although the story concentrates on three main characters, its joy rests in the other tales that resonate from its steady centre. A band of ragtag army reservists and a pair of pirates sulking along the coastline in search of civilisation work as great comedic foils to the urgent drama. With writer Helen Barnes, Rowlands has created an ingenious story that touches on so many issues but leaves you guessing at the film's end as to the eventual outcome of each tale, forcing the viewer to address the issues on their own terms and find their own way out of the wilderness.

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What you say

[Untitled]
Falls Short
interesting and enjoyable
second class
What a movie!
Well crafted film
Arid and brilliant black comedy

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What you say

[Untitled]

Pretty far fetched. How the hell did they manage to light a fire every night. Did they carry waterproof matches??? Why didn't they know a direction to take, by sun rising in east etc, particularly if they were trying to get to the coast? If it was so hot during the day, why were they rugged up? Producers/directors should have done a couple of hours walking in this terrain, to give themselves some ideas of the terrain. These guys should have had burnt lips at least, from such sun exposure!

Meg
Darwin, NT
24 Jan 2010

Falls Short

It is a little movie which starts very promisingly but runs out of ideas within 30 minutes. Then the storyline becomes farcical and tedious with arguments (none of which add anything to the narrative) amongst the would-be refugees.

Australian filmmakers still need to tell the tragedy of Refugees and the treatment they have suffered in the hands of the Australian Government (with bipartisan support). This film attempted to do it but fell short. It is a pity, because the intentions were good. However, one should treat the outcome objectively regardless of their intentions and the reality is that the end result here is not good enough.

EZT
Sydney, NSW
16 Aug 2007

interesting and enjoyable

it was certainly worth viewing this movie funny, simple yet sensitive to human plight, a lesson in the great Australian landscape and how to survive/not survive, plus an insight into some stories of those who wish to be allowed into this formerly welcoming country of ours.

anthony smith
Sydney, NSW
16 Aug 2007

second class

I just came away from this film and found it disappointing and not living up to the 4 stars some reviewers give it. The characters are under developed and and as far as the Australian characters too stereotyped. The editing is clunky, the technical quality so so and the film is just far too long for the content - a desert road movie that got lost. The acting was fine but hampered by the story development.

Greg
Canberra, ACT
4 Aug 2007

What a movie!

I absolutely loved this one. It just showed how human we all are, no matter where we are from. I wonder how most of us softies would have reacted if in the same situation as these boat people - out in the middle of nowhere and not even sure where nowhere was…

Wonderful. More, more, more like this.

Anonymous
Sydney, NSW
30 Jul 2007

Well crafted film

The film, story line and cinematography were flawless, There were so many wonderful moments and I loved how the Arun 'pan' like figure searched his Father in spite of the odds. Also loved the ute and old shed scene...classic Australiana! Really liked how the vulnerability of dispossession was portrayed and how the dispossessed Yousiff kept on going in spite of having lost his wife and brother and job and belongings. What an insight into the tenacity and the human spirit portrayed without excessive sentiment or romanticising the struggle for freedom. An AFI for this one I reckon.

Carol
Adelaide, SA
2 Jul 2007

Arid and brilliant black comedy

Arid. Describes not only the stunning Australian environment, but the dry wry original humour not camparible to any movie I've seen.

The characters are complicated and full of personality, and when thrown together in the harshest desert: the serious Iraqi man seeking assylum is forced to share a water bottle with a light hearted cambodian sweetheart. The moments just between these two are priceless!

Just when we think there's going to be a heavy moment, we are shocked into laughter. A bit of a send up of the Australian army and an insight into how we are all just on our own selfish little trip, no matter which country we come from.

So many twists and turns, the ending was unexpected to say the least!

A must see for the thinkers out there.

I wonder if the soundtrack will be available on CD?

Lisa
Sydney, NSW
8 Jun 2007