AUSTRALIA *****

Papabear, Khrystibear, and I all went to the movies again on Saturday. We saw Australia. It was a very good movie and I recommend it to everyone who is old enough to see it. It was basically clean.... you might want to preview it before you let under ? age children see it, but we were not offended by anything. I don't know if that gives a good clue about those things or not. Anyway....

The storyline is fairly classic...British wife goes to Australia to seek out her husband and insist he sell the land they have there. Naturally she is like a fish out of water in such an untamed, basically hostile place. The challenges bring out the courage and fiestiness in her that she needs to survive.

The movie is produced and directed by Baz Luhrmann, who also produced Moulin Rouge as well as William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. That was an amazing production of the classic play by Shakespeare, taking place in modern Los Angeles. It was so much more poignant and intense than anything I've ever seen before. Australia, written by Luhrmann, is also intense. What I like about this movie is all the many ways to relate to it. The main character, played by Nicole Kidman, who is really good at what she does, goes from her own personal "British empire" to the desolate trappings and abandonment of basically unsettled Australia. It reminded me of Mother Eve leaving the garden of Eden to live in her savage new world. Amazing filming made me think of just how awful that might have been. Enjoy the cinematography. It is wonderful to see so much of the continent this way. Threaded throughout is an aboriginal overseer, who seems to represent God, or faith, or constancy. There is the indigeneous conflict of good vs. evil and the necessary conquests.
Hugh Jackman makes a wonderful hero who is sensitive and vulnerable, also strong and unyielding. The aborigines are struggling but please notice their incredible eyelashes. They have the most beautiful eyes with the longest eyelashes! Nulla, played by Brandon Walters, is just beautiful as is his mother. They have the longest eyelashes I've ever seen. It is a Good movie. I will say that you will probably need handkerchiefs in your pocket. And I have to add this: At one point there is a close up of the aborigine grandfather. Look closely and you will see that his eyes are blue. That one thing speaks volumes about the humanity of the world. We think there are such differences in people, but there are none. We are all the same.
In the end, there is a bomb dropping scene. I couldn't help thinking that this takes place in one very tiny spot on the globe, with people frantically searching for and losing each other. What makes us think we will be able to find each other in Heaven? It will be such a large place. Perhaps that's one of the blessings of being sealed to each other as families. We can be together, protected from loss. It's just a thought. I know heaven won't be in chaos, but it will be a very large place with many, many people.

So, I give Australia five out of five stars. It was great. I don't often have a movie replay in my head for the next two days, but this one is still rather active there. Go see it when you get the chance. Don't forget the hankies.