petehill854 Review of Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue (I) (2006)

A lesson in film-making: How less can be much, much more.

[10/10 · 19 September 2013]

This is a superb film which depicted a horrific, tragic & extremely violent real-life event without ever descending into sensationalism, over-dramatization or melodrama. The film is a classic example of how a low budget can be turned into an asset- the director making a virtue out of the film's self-imposed limitations, creating a masterpiece of under-statement. The film depicts ordinary people reacting to extraordinary events and does so beautifully despite the extreme subject matter, the sharp contrast between the sleepy seaside beauty of the locale and the horrors of the event proving very effective. The film does not beg the viewer to hate Gray, in this film he is depicted as more pathetic than evil, a mentally ill man whose isolation, self-obsession and idleness has festered into paranoia, fear and rage, erasing any empathy for his fellow human beings. Yet the film allows the viewer to almost pity him as much as we want to fear and loathe him. In one telling scene, Police officer Harvey and Detective Knox cautiously enter Gray's house and in one room there is a hobby desk with miniature models of military vehicles & soldiers that Gray has constructed, indicating the lonely fantasy world he inhabited. The film avoids graphic portrayals of the violence- most of the deaths occur either off-camera or are filmed from a distance. The hand-held camera technique, so over-used by other directors, is used here with restraint, allowing for a gentle naturalism, rather than the bobbing camera, self-conscious hyper-realism of a film like Bloody Sunday or the battle scenes of Saving Private Ryan. Another plus for the film is the avoidance of any glib summary or moralising of the event. Instead, the film lets us view a silent montage of the survivors of the events, each dealing with the grief and trauma in one of the most moving dialogue-free sequences I have ever seen. I highly recommend this film and I hope it serves as a warning over here in Australia as the housing boom in the major cities forces people on low incomes out into small, forgotten towns, including many people who are the most vulnerable and dysfunctional members of society, condemning them to live their lives in isolation, loneliness and poverty, breeding the ideal conditions for another hundred David Grays to emerge.