I always enjoy watching foreign films. It broadens my perspective on film-making, and it also encourages me that movies can be so much more than just entertainment. Movies can impact you emotionally, and make you think about things that are happening in the world or in your life. Blackrock is one of those kinds of movies.
Blackrock is the story of a group of surfers whos friendship is tested after one of them witnesses a local schoolgirl get raped and murdered. I like the way this film unfolds because you see how close all of these friends are. They may get on each others nerves sometimes, but in the end all is forgiven because these guys are like family. I also like the side story with Jareds' (Laurence Breuls) mother, Diane (Linda Cropper). This element of the film adds an extra element of drama to the film that makes you care about Jared even more. This is a powerful film that makes you question where you stand between loyalty and truth.
Laurence Breuls plays Jared. I love Jareds' character arc in the film because for a majority of the film he struggles with whether to stay loyal to his friends or go to the authorities about what he saw. This also affects his relationship with his mother because he is being emotionally distant at a time when she needs him around. Breuls is solid in the role, and his character provides the necessary emotional weight. The scene where he confesses to his mother that he witnessed what happened to the schoolgirl is so powerful because of Breuls' performance. Every subtlety in his facial expressions and voice tone makes Jared as a character feel more human. I enjoyed watching Breuls develop this character very much.
Linda Cropper plays Jareds' mother, Diane. I like this character because she is one of the few people in Jareds' life that is attempting to get him to talk about what happened. I think that Jared wants to tell her, and that she knows he wants to tell her. Also, she is going through something personal in her life as well and she needs to talk to Jared about it. Diane and Jared have a complex relationship that adds to the story a great deal. Cropper shines in the role, and delivers every line of dialogue as an actual mother would. Like Breuls, Cropper inhabits the role and makes her character feel like a real person. Linda Cropper gives an authentic, standout performance in this film.
Simon Lyndon plays Ricko. There is a great deal of mystery surrounding this character as he does not get much screen time. However, I think that lack of screen time is earned when you discover the revelation about the character. Once that moment happens, his character becomes an important focal point. Ricko is quite a disturbing character because he believes in his motivations so casually. Like the aforementioned actors, Lyndon makes the character believable as a real person, perfectly inhabiting the character in every twisted aspect. Even though he does not get much screen time, Lyndon is truly something special to watch in the film. The final act of the film is so emotional to watch because of his performance. Solid work by Lyndon.
Steven Vidler is the director of Blackrock. I particularly like the way he uses the camera during the party scenes in the film. It may seem too hectic and "shaky-cam" for some, but I personally feel that the reason the camera is used this way is to reflect what the party scene is like in real life. I also like the way the camera is used in Laurence Breuls' scenes. Jareds' journey is quite emotional, and the camera stays on Breuls in the emotional scenes to emphasize how he is feeling. This brings me to a part of the film that I need to address. We do not actually see the schoolgirl get murdered. Now, some would argue that it is important that we see this because it is such an important part of the film. However, I personally believe that seeing her get murdered after she has just been raped would have been too much for this kind of a movie. Setting the tone is so important when making a film, and I think that seeing a murder scene immediately after a rape scene would have been too much to take in for the tone of this movie. That being said, this film is a window into these characters' lives, and Vidler gives the film a very real, raw look at life. This is a fantastic knockout directorial debut by Vidler.
Blackrock is a powerful film that will move you in such an emotional way. This is definitely a movie that every film buff should have in their collection. If you have the means and opportunity of purchasing it, I highly suggest that you do.
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