12 years since its first draft, writer and director Rhys Graham’s debut feature, Galore, has finally hit the big screen, starring four of Australia’s most promising young actors.
The low budget film, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival, focuses on best friends Billie (Puberty Blues star Ashleigh Cummings) and Laura (the exceptional newcomer Lily Sullivan) who complete a not so secret love triangle with Laura’s boyfriend Danny (Toby Wallace).
Overall, Galore is an unremarkable film that portrays a clichéd depiction of a teenage girl’s coming of age. From the turbulent relationship between only child, Billie, and her single mother, the secret underage drinking and smoking on riverbanks, Billie’s dark clothing teamed with heavy eyeliner and an unflattering edgy haircut, and friends fighting for the love of a weak and confused boy, Galore paints a simplistic picture of a girl’s adolescent years which is too commonly misrepresented in film.
The imagery of Canberra’s outer suburb Tuggeranong is pretty but forgettable and does little to distract from the several overlapping plot twists that invites comparison with a Neighbours season finale. There’s your usual car crash, the death of a central character, and just incase you didn’t already know this was an Australian film, the final scene is set during the 2003 Canberra bushfires.
Graham’s eagerness to explore multiple relationships in Galore comes at the expense of crucial development of protagonist Billie, which detracts from her believability and in turn the film’s credibility.
Galore’s saving grace is the acting of the four main characters, with relative newcomer Lily Sullivan the overall standout. Cummings pleases as usual and Aliki Matangi as Isaac delivers an outstanding performance in his acting debut.
Galore is another well made but generic Australian film destined only to be studied in high school English classes for its metaphorical imagery, dynamic intersecting relationships and intentionally shaky camera work.
