Nitram | A long descent into hell ★★★½





A solitary teenager, prey to crises at the slightest annoyance, finds a little peace with a marginal heiress who has hired him as a gardener, and with whom he builds a life apart. Until the day where…

Posted at 11:30 a.m.

Marc-Andre Lussier

Marc-Andre Lussier
The Press

six years later macbeth, Justin Kurzel offers a film of a completely different genre. For Nitramword in the form of a mirror of Martin (the first name of the protagonist), the Australian filmmaker brings to the screen a screenplay by Shaun Grant (Snowtown), inspired by a real tragedy that occurred in 1996 in Port Arthur, Tasmania (35 people were killed and 23 were injured during a shooting), to bring a reflection on the carrying of weapons.

A bit like Gus Van Sant did with Elephantthe director ofAssassin’s Creed focuses on the circumstances that may have led to such a tragedy by following the author’s psychological journey, rather than describing the violent details of the event.

Avoiding any form of sensationalism, the story nevertheless freezes the blood. Even if we do not know the end of the story, it is clearly established from the start that a long and inevitable descent into hell begins. This young man, only son, lives with his parents in an atmosphere of solitude and frustration, until he comes across Helen (Essie Davis), a mature woman, alone, who takes him under her wing. Kurzel thus follows the inexorable fate of a boy whose illness is exacerbated by a feeling of rejection.

American actor Caleb Landry Jones, whose performance won him the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival last year, portrays the assassin in a remarkable way, supported by two veterans whom it is good to see again: Judy Davis and Anthony LaPaglia. Advocate for stricter laws against those who want to acquire weapons and carry them, Nitram paints an appalling portrait, which is also distinguished by the quality of the performers.

Nitram is showing in the original version, as well as in the original version with French subtitles.

Nitram

Drama

Nitram

Justin Kurzel

With Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Anthony LaPaglia

1:52

½


source site-57