Dirt Music
By Tara McNamara,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Infidelity, deception rule in clunky Australian romance.
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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Dirt Music
Community Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
The misery of a beautiful place
Very Romantic,Touching Film
What's the Story?
Based on the award-winning Australian novel by Tim Winton, DIRT MUSIC follows Georgie (Kelly Macdonald), the restless live-in girlfriend of widowed local fishing legend Jim Buckridge (David Wenham). She's become a substitute mother for his two boys. But then she becomes intrigued by local "dirt" musician Lu Fox (Garrett Hedlund), whom she spots poaching from their lobster traps. In a small town where secrets spread faster than germs, Georgie's attraction to Lu makes him a target.
Is It Any Good?
It's not necessary to read Winton's novel to realize that this adaptation doesn't live up to the award-winning work that's become the pride of Western Australia. For starters, director Gregor Jordan's adaptation has some noticeable plot holes and questionable motivations. It makes assertions it never backs up, and it introduces a character who seems to have an air of menace but then never pays it off. That may be because the movie veers significantly from the source material. One of the biggest head-scratchers, however, is true to the original text. Georgie and Lu upend their lives for their sexual relationship, but it never feels like love. So, why? There's no explanation, and while the course of human history shows that certainly people have lost their families for a night or two of indiscretion, Georgie and Lu take the risk to new levels.
Crisp cinematography allows viewers to get lost in Western Australia and absorbed in its vast beauty. It provides an escape where your senses are awakened: You can almost feel the ocean breeze and smell the fishermen. That's all likely to be lost on teens, but the message -- if there really is one -- may not. Both Georgie and Lu are tormented by the pragmatic choices they made of their own accord, providing a clear example that taking the easy route isn't necessarily easy emotionally. While Dirt Music doesn't live up to its potential, there is, at least, a nugget of value.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the connection between grief, trauma, and depression. How can we help others going through these situations or emotions? How can we help ourselves?
Compare life in White Point, Australia, to life where you live. What influence do class, money, and power have? How are Georgie and Lu both stuck on the outside of the community, despite their different circumstances?
How is drinking depicted? Is it glamorized or made to look fun? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
How is betrayal explored on several fronts? Is there ever a positive outcome? Why?
How is Western Australia a character equal in presence to Georgie and Lu in Dirt Music? What other films have you seen where the location influences the story?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: July 17, 2020
- Cast: Garrett Hedlund , Kelly Macdonald , David Wenham
- Director: Gregor Jordan
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: Book Characters , Music and Sing-Along
- Run time: 105 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 12, 2023
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