Two 1/2 stars
During a fishing trip outside the Australian town of Jindabyne, a group of men (led by Gabriel Byrne as Stewart) discover a dead aboriginal girl in the river and don’t report it until their trip is over. That doesn’t sit very well with the townspeople or with Stewart’s wife (Laura Linney), who is still living down the depression that years ago drew her away from the first 18 months of her son’s life.
Catch it Tense performances from Byrne and Linney drive this slow-paced flick, which will hit home for anyone who’s ever bickered with a friend, a neighbor or a significant other.
Skip it Too many issues to juggle, but, hey, we appreciate the effort to tackle serious subjects in a mature way.
Bottom line “Jindabyne” shows that even in “tidy town,” people still experience things and make decisions that can only be justified by saying, “Well, you had to be there.”
