goldenarrow-99823
Rape revenge.
While I'm all in favour of the castration and execution of convicted rapists, these ladies seem a little unfocused.One minute they're gung-ho in their plans to kill the sicko who'd assaulted them, the next some of them have an attack of conscience and think prison will be punishment enough. It makes 79 minutes seem like a lot longer. Kat, who has a disproportionately foul mouth (even for an Australian) seems to be the only one committed to the plan. And she certainly has had a horrific past, so I can totally understand why she'd want revenge. "That looks nasty." - Emily, after Kat uses a blowtorch on Kyle the rapist's penis for a considerable time
Wonder how this would score on the Bechdel Test?!And for all those Americans who might get confused - these ladies are Australian, not English, or south African.
All of us non-Americans don't really like getting lumped in together. Thank you.
Leofwine_draca
TOMBOYS is a dreadful indie horror flick from Australia. It's posited as a grindhouse throwback wannabe torture porn movie but it's nothing like that at all. All you get is a single dark location with five female cast members whose faces are shot in close-up. They converse for the entire running time in dialogue which is as dull as it is extraneous. It's obviously going for some psychological head-spin approach but the result is a film that'll bore you to tears.
DICK STEEL
Written and directed by Nathan Hill, this Australian movie is a throwback to the good old grindhouse movies, where language, violence and gore are part and parcel of the entire package, and Tomboys go to great lengths in keeping to that look and feel, keeping the visuals grainy, the camera-work shaky, and who can not miss those huge character titles that come on to introduce each of the leading ladies, the titular tomboys, who have gathered in a barn to execute (pardon the pun) their dastardly plan.But of course to the group of five, it is nothing more than to exact revenge for the cruel sexual assaults caused by their tormentor, now masked and bound and strung up within a barn, ready to be met with his just desserts. It's trouble five times over with vengeance on the mind of these ladies, especially that of the unofficial ringleader Kat (Candice Day) who masterminded the kidnap and having her posse of female chums gathered to witness and partake in the exercising of their inner demons brought forth by the serial rapist of their town.You may think this is a simple open and shut case, with a plain narrative that details the many torturous techniques that the girls want to put the serial rapist under, given the deliberate shot of many types of tools available to inflict punishment, and a fridge stocked with cold beer while at it. But here's where Nathan Hill had a lot more hidden up his sleeves. The story tosses up many twists, turns and surprises along the way, which provides opportunity for all of the actresses to showcase their acting chops, since the events that unfold mostly through talk, will call upon shifting loyalties and dynamics within the group.While everyone's supposed to work toward a common goal, having these unplanned events thanks to Murphy and other emotional baggage that the girls kept hidden from one another, takes a toil on their supposedly chumminess at the beginning of the film. It dwells upon one's threshold of "justice", in just how much is enough, and in a group there will always be the risk takers always wanting to push boundaries, and those who prefer to stay within their comfort zones, especially when the time calls for covering up of their tracks, and internal bickering and betrayals. Having to witness this played out to perfection, is one of the highlights of the film.Set in just one locale, the modestly budgeted Tomboys belong to the genre of films that sets its own challenge of engaging an audience without the luxury of transcending space, and the tight narrative helped the convincing performances of its cast members, helped to make this one heck of a morality tale, with the grindhouse gimmick being the icing on the cake.
Max Tucker
I found 'Tomboys' to be a great little Aussie movie. In the tradition of 'I Spit On Your Grave' and films of the rape revenge genre, this grind-house film is a claustrophobic one room drama. A good first feature attempt. It proves that Australian filmmakers can actually do genre films but also cater to an International audience. The lead actress Candice Day gives a chilling performance of a woman tested to the absolute limit. Naomi Davis as her side kick is a good casting choice who also put in a great, sometimes hilarious, effort. Great seeing Jenny Lovell pop up, she's an old school Australian talent. Be interesting to see what else Alliance and/or Hill come up with next?
