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Snowtown is a gritty crime film based on the true story of Australia’s most notorious serial killer, John Bunting.
The film follows 16-year-old Jamie Vlassakis, who lives with his mother, Elizabeth, and two younger brothers in a small house surrounded by violence. Their situation looks bleak and hopeless until John Bunting shows up.
After a neighbour abuses Elizabeth’s three boys, she has had enough and John helps them stand up for themselves and seek revenge, forcing the neighbour to move.
Things begin to look up and he soon becomes a stable father figure to the children.
However, John is not the saviour he appears to be and Jamie starts to see his dark side before getting fully involved in his dirty work and Jamie becomes bound by his loyalty and fear of his new father figure.
The murders are tastefully shot, not showing details of the victim’s demise, but giving enough for the audience to realise John’s hatred towards them, mainly homosexuals and paedophiles.
The actors and actresses used are unknown names, helping you view the story as truth, and the gritty feel to this film is captured well through the use of hand held cameras.
The main character Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) grows and evolves throughout the film, and Daniel Henshall’s portrayal of John Bunting is spectacular.
This is an intense film, showing rape and murder, which makes it not everyone’s ideal viewing.
The fact that people have walked out of the showing I attended is testament to how well director Justin Kurzel has captured the horror of these real life crimes.