I knew nothing about this movie before I saw it, except that it appeared to share the most superficial of similarities with Bran Nue Dae – ie: it was a local product shot in Perth and the north of WA, with a mostly aboriginal cast. To say I didn’t think much of Bran Nue Dae is an understatement. I was hoping Mad Bastards was a whole lot better, but truth to tell my expectations were not high.
Whenever art returns to the streets, so to speak, you know there are exciting times ahead. It happened in rock music with the punk rock of the 70s, and when poetry infused itself back into widespread social relevance through rap and hip hop. And it’s happening now with film, mostly due to the staggering advances in digital technology.
Not only is it now possible for any tech-savvy filmmaker to match the big studios with CGI and post-production, but crucially, the expenses involved are minimal. Quality software is cheap, and in some cases free, and filming in digital costs very little. That is truly liberating, flinging open the doors of opportunity for a new generation of indie filmmakers and, hopefully, heralding a new era of cinema less burdened by corporate restraints on creative parameters.
17 year old Brent (Xavier Samuel) is driving along a road in rural Australia with his father as passenger. Easy banter. Some good-natured jibes over musical tastes. Dad’s into Little River Band (yoikes!), son’s a metal head (yoikes again!). The normality of the situation is unnerving. You know this is a horror flick. You know something’s in store, it ain’t gonna be good, and it’s comin’ soon. “Watch out!” yells Dad. A shirtless man with slashed, bloody torso is standing like a zombie in the middle of the road. A screech of brakes, the car swerves off the road, SMASH.