The Turning

Although quite a few famous Australian faces (Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving) pepper this ambitious attempt to translate Tim Winton's book of short stories into an experimental collage of short films, it was first conceived as an art project, and is perhaps best viewed that way. It's also worth noting that, to those unfamiliar with the book, certain characters recur, to be reinterpreted by different directors and actors. The result is fitfully interesting but jarring in one (very) long session, offering tales from modern life in a Western Australian town that deal with battered wives, frustrated lives and - most consistently - the pains and rituals of growing up. The penultimate story, in which a couple meet on a train, is told entirely through interpretative dance, and threatens to be a step too far. But, surprisingly, its organic, intuitive storytelling makes it one of the best entries and offers a refreshing break from some of the darker realism here.