UNFINISHED SKY (M)

Director:
Peter Duncan

Starring:
William McInnes (Look Both Ways)
Monic Hendrickx
David Field

Plot Summary:
A frightened woman appears on the property of a reclusive farmer. Neither can speak the other’s language. Both are hiding from something. As their trust and affection for one another grows, secrets are revealed which could endanger them both.

Unfinished Sky is a unique Australian romantic drama about the nature of loss and the language of love. It's about finding the courage to trust again, the risks we take to protect those close to us and the devastating consequences of small town secrets.

Farmer John Woldring (William McInnes, Look Both Ways, Kokoda, Sea Change) discovers a troubled woman miles from home, injured and unable to speak English. Somewhat reluctantly, John restores Tahmeena (Monic Hendrickx) to health, slowly gaining her trust and learning more about her past, whilst coming to terms with his own…

Still grieving from the loss of his wife, John has all but given up - withdrawing deep into the familiar routine of life on the farm. He is strong, but remote. Accepting, but still hurting. Tahmeena's sudden arrival reawakens John, jolting him into a world he does not yet fully understand. When John begins to suspect the owner of a local pub is connected to Tahmeena's earlier assault, he makes a decision to keep her whereabouts hidden until he can help her to safety. But is Tahmeena chasing something, or is it she who is being chased?

Genre:
Drama

Duration:
90 Minutes

Origin:
Australia

Language:
English

Reviews:

REVIEW highlights
by Andrew L. Urban at URBAN CINEFILE.

Anchored by two outstanding performances, Unfinished Sky is an engaging and intriguing drama. All that tends to draw us into the film, and Monic Hendrickx makes an alluring and interesting Tahmeena, at times tragic, at times endearingly feminine.

William McInnes turns John into a complex character whose isolation is rudely interrupted; he is a rough diamond in some respects, but his extensive library and tastefully furnished outback home ­ which is no mere shack ­ attests to a life of greater sophistication than his tractor jumping present displays.

The screenplay touches on illegal migration, avoiding judgement; but the human drama of the story behind Tahmeena's circumstances offers a glimpse into a world most Australians can't understand, don't see and hardly ever care about. In that respect, it's both a socio political film and a genuine contemporary drama.

REVIEW highlights
by Louise Keller at URBAN CINEFILE.

With its economic and enticing storytelling, Unfinished Sky is one of those films whose elements sneak up so cleverly, that we are swept away before we know it. It's been nine years since Peter Duncan's last film, Passion,
graced our screens, and Duncan's Unfinished Sky is ONE OF THE BEST AUSTRALIAN FILMS OF THE YEAR. There is a reason for everything in this adaptation of the 1998 Dutch drama, The Polish Bride, including the re-casting of Dutch actress Monic Hendrickx as an Afghani refugee, who finds sanctuary on an isolated sheep farm in rural Australia with William McInnes' reclusive farmer.

UNFINISHED SKY is a gripping film whose great sense of place grounds it solidly.