Flathead

Two men in rural Queensland search for solace in spirituality in this cinematic blend of documentary and fiction.

Now in his 70s, country bloke Cass Cumerford returns to his hometown of Bundaberg seeking enlightenment. Having weathered a life of drugs, tragedy and, now, an illness, he follows his intrigue to evangelical Christians. Meanwhile, when Andrew Wong isn’t fronting his late father’s iconic fish-and-chip shop – the same one that allowed his family to send him and his sisters to school – he’s working out and musing on Buddhism in his own pursuit of meaning.

Executive-produced by Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Hail, MIFF 2012; Bastardy, MIFF 2008), Jaydon Martin’s directorial feature debut scooped a Special Jury Award as part of Rotterdam’s Tiger Competition. Shot in an alluringly cinematic black-and-white, this intimate portrait blurs narrative and nonfiction to memorialise a working-class community and their dealings with loss, masculinity and faith. With its spirited insights into humanity and solidarity, Flathead is at once contemplative and compassionate.

“Absorbing, moving and visually beautiful … The film’s poetry resides in … its vernacular spirituality and its gentleness.” – The Guardian