A remarkable debut from writer/director Victoria Wharfe McIntyre, THE FLOOD examines the appalling plight of Indigenous Australians after World War Two, and the rip-roaring revenge one of them took against a cruel enemy all too close to home. Heartbreaking cruelty is superseded by gut-wrenching violence, in this shockingly relevant story of injustice and the need for compassion. With most of the shooting locations destroyed in the January 2020 megafire, THE FLOOD is now a visual archive of an ancient Australian rainforest world that no longer exists.
Directed with real verve and unflinching style by McIntyre, nimbly switching between timeframes, THE FLOOD features some strikingly powerful set pieces (including an almost unbearable campsite massacre, and some thrilling shoot-outs), and a mesmerising lead performance from Alexis Lane (remarkable assured in her feature debut) as Jarah, a young woman who pushes back against indignities and outrages in a bloody fashion. When someone tells her “bad things are coming”, they don’t realise those bad things are her! This is emancipation garnered at the end of a rifle.
Recalling The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith’s visceral howl of rage, and with the feel of a classic western like Unforgiven, the female-centric THE FLOOD is a dynamic, beautifully shot, emotive and action-packed film from a talent to watch. As Yara says in the film: “Saddle up – it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
THE FLOOD releases on digital on 1st November 2021 by 4Digital Media.
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