What’s it about?

Abby, a marine biologist, returns to her coastal hometown after learning her mother has had a stroke. As Abby struggles to reconnect with her mother, she revisits the events of her youth that shaped her passionate conservationism.

What’d we think?

An adaptation of the Tim Winton bestseller, Blueback is a beautiful and gentle movie that’s ultimately hampered by the lightness of its presentation. There’s a wealth of stunning underwater photography and sweeping shots of the Western Australian landscape that handily service the movie’s environmental message, and the lead roles are sensitively handled by the actors in both the present-day and younger versions of the characters (with special mention to Eric Bana in a charming supporting role). The movie doesn’t particularly fail in any respect, but seemingly internalised its own environmental message so strongly that it doesn’t manage to leave much of an impact.