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Early in the new Australian film “Christmess,” which is a bittersweet drama about an alcoholic actor attempting to change his life, one character poses a question that is well-known to many film enthusiasts: what is the ultimate Christmas movie? The main character, Chris (played by Steve Le Marquand), gives a response that is all too familiar to anyone who has been on the internet in the last twenty years: “Die Hard,” the fantastic and action-packed classic starring Bruce Willis, which has sparked debates about what truly qualifies as a Christmas movie for many holiday seasons.
If Christmess – a very absorbing film, tenderly written and directed by Heath Davis – were a more banter-prone production, the characters might’ve waded into the debate themselves. For instance: what’s the difference between a film set during the festive season and a film about Christmas? It’s a perfectly fine argument to have with relation to Hollywood, a huge purveyor of yuletide fare. But not so much for Australia, given this country, for a long time, had few examples of either.
Australia has a few Christmas films, such as Bush Christmas in 1947 and its 1983 version, which marked Nicole Kidman’s first film role. Other films like Bushfire Moon in 1987, starring Bud Tingwell as a Santa impostor, and the 1998 comedic film Crackers also revolve around the holiday.
Recently, there has been an increase in holiday films produced by local film-makers. In this year alone, three new Christmas movies have been released, all set in Australia: Christmess, A Savage Christmas, and Jones Family Christmas, which centers around a family dealing with a bushfire.
In the previous year, a film called Christmas Ransom featured a group of thieves stealing from a toy store. This year, 2021, saw the release of Christmas on the Farm, which follows an Australian living in New York who poses as a genuine farmer in order to get a book deal. A Sunburnt Christmas, released in 2020, stars Daniel Henshall as a criminal trying to recover stolen money with the help of children who think he is Santa.
As we have a significant number of gifts beneath the Christmas tree, the inquiry arises: what are the top Australian holiday films?
First, let’s discuss the dramas. Both versions of Bush Christmas are average films with cheerful, outdoor storylines about children chasing after horse thieves. Bushfire Moon is slightly better, with Bud Tingwell playing a likable imitation of Santa Claus in a tale that is enjoyable but has a Disney-like feel. The ending tidily ties everything together, but relies on some overused miracles.
However, there is nothing Disney-like about Christmess, and there are definitely no miraculous occurrences. The main character, Chris, played by Le Marquand, portrays an alcoholic actor with great relatability and a downtrodden demeanor. Chris receives support from his sponsor, Nick (also portrayed excellently by Darren Gilshenan), but staying on the path to sobriety becomes even more challenging when he unexpectedly runs into his estranged daughter while working as a mall Santa.
The movie concludes with a mixture of both happiness and sadness, with a touch of hope but no excessive sentimentality. In my opinion, it could be considered the greatest Christmas-themed drama in Australian cinema, although this may vary depending on our interpretation of what constitutes a Christmas film.
In my opinion, 2007’s Boxing Day is not only a fantastic Australian movie but also one of the top films from the 2000s. The director, Kriv Stenders, uses a unique technique of presenting the film in one continuous shot, similar to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman. The protagonist, Chris (portrayed incredibly by Richard Green), is a struggling man under home detention who anxiously prepares lunch for his family.
Similar to Chris from Le Marquand, he desires to avoid any complications, but it becomes a rough journey. The situation becomes uneasy when Stuart Clark, a former acquaintance, unexpectedly shows up and puts him in a risky predicament.
The movie features various elements of Christmas, such as the anxiety of cooking a meal, the stress of being around family, and the dread of eating said meal with said family. However, since it takes place on Boxing Day, it may not be considered a Christmas film. It brings to mind a quote from Maxwell Smart: “Missed it by that much!”
Now onto the humorous ones. The latest offerings have been rather questionable: This year’s Christmas on the Farm is a relatively mild comedy, rehashing a familiar concept that we’ve seen countless times before, and last year’s Christmas Ransom is clumsy and overly sentimental. The better of the bunch, A Savage Christmas, brings a slight hint of originality to the dysfunctional family story, but falters in its ending.
Instead of trying to understand the quirks of Australian culture, writer and director David Swann’s 1998 film fully embraces it by showcasing the festive season in a white-bread suburb. In one memorable scene, the family dog jumps for a steak, causing a hilarious barbecue explosion that ultimately leads to its demise – a common trope in Australian films (see: Snowtown, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Red Dog, Tracks). While chaotic, the film has a lively energy and cleverly involves the camera in the humor.
One of the pleasures of A Sunburnt Christmas is that it, too, evokes comedy through visual staging – and it also has a much more satisfying storyline to boot. By the time this playful bad-Santa picture gets into the cuddly stuff, it’s very much won us over. It’s my pick for Australian cinema’s best Christmas comedy. Depending on how you define – oh, here we go again …
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What is your preferred Australian holiday film? Let us know in the comments section.
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“The movie Christmess can be streamed on Binge starting on December 15th.”
Source: theguardian.com
