The New Boy

Genre Drama

Reviewer Linda Heller-Salvador

The New Boy is writer, director, cinematographer Warwick Thornton’s (Sweet Country) second film to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival; his first being Samson & Delilah, which won the Caméra d'Or in 2009. It has been 20 years in the making and is a deeply personal film inspired by his childhood experience of being sent to a remote boarding school run by monks.

When an enigmatic young Indigenous boy (charismatic newcomer Aswan Reid) is left at an isolated Christian orphanage, which is run by the devout but unorthodox Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett), mystifying events occur that lead to a questioning of her faith.

Visually stunning in its starkness and embellished with an expressively powerful score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, The New Boy is not only an unsettling glimpse into a part of Australian history but is also a beguiling story of survival and acceptance. It’s one you'll either love or hate. Lightly layered mystic dreamtime symbolisms may be unsatisfying for those who prefer their films straight-forward and easy to process.

Alex Lahey

The Answer Is Always Yes

Label Liberation Records

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating

Unlike Australia Post, Alex Lahey rarely fails to deliver, and The Answer Is Always Yes is full of countless delightful packages. The Aussie singer-songwriter somehow manages to go from sounding like Bob Dylan to Death Cab For Cutie and then punk band FIDLAR without missing a beat. This sort of alt-indie-pop-folk is very much in at the moment, but I find Lahey far more accessible than a lot of her contemporaries. She seems genuine, less cynical, and more likely to paint her fingernails black because she wants to do it, not because she thinks it’s cool.

BOY & BEAR Boy

& Bear

Label Island Records

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating 

I’ve always had a love/meh relationship with Boy & Bear, but now I might be ready to take them home to meet the parents. They suddenly seem so interesting. Perhaps because they’ve shed the label and they’re all grown up. The blood suckers and perverts no longer guide their every move and they’ve finally come into their own. Weirdly, the two bands that I kept thinking of while listening were The Verve and the Bee Gees. It’s a strange cocktail, but it kind of works. Sip it down, like you might a ginger and whiskey sour, while staring into the eyes of a complicated lover.

SNAKEHIPS never worry

Label Helix Records

Reviewer @aldothewriter

Rating 

I gave up being one of the beautiful people many years ago. It was quite liberating. I stopped looking in the mirror or buying new underpants. It doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate that world from afar though, and Snakehips are clearly making music for beautiful people. On the surface, this is music for pool parties with young influencers, who have big ‘feels’, bigger egos, and short attention spans, but I can also vouch for it being perfect for sitting in your torn underpants in a suburban backyard with a Queenslander’s Cocktail (two litres of Bundy and Coke served in the plastic bottle).

Star Signs

Visions Beardy from Hell

Virgo Aug 23-Sep 23

Setting your goals high and failing above everyone else’s successes isn’t as good as actually succeeding.

Libra Sep 24-Oct 23

The lack of punishment for white collar crime in Australia makes it a pretty attractive prospect. Career change, anyone?

Scorpio Oct 24-Nov 22

A gastroscopy will do more than just prolong your life; you’ll get a day off, shed a few kilos and get a rare win over your health fund.

Sagittarius Nov 23-Dec 21

The slow descent into winter is always a challenging time. Consider some extra help from big pharma to get you through it.

Capricorn Dec 22-Jan 20

Can’t afford to go overseas? You can always post a few pics from your last trip so it looks like you’re still killin’ it.

Aquarius Jan 21-Feb 19

Do you have something to say, or do you just want to say something? The difference is really not that subtle.

Pisces Feb 20-Mar 20

Embrace your existing bad habits rather than risk forming new, more destructive ones that could end up completely ruining you.

Aries Mar 21-Apr 20

Stop choosing your words so carefully. In order to be able to think, you need to risk offending people.

Taurus Apr 21-May 21

Your arse isn’t going to get any smaller when you’re sitting on it all day. It’s time to get up and shake it off.

Gemini May 22-Jun 21

Blaming the Reserve Bank for your financial woes is like blaming Scott Morrison for the bushfires.

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