''Closed for Winter'' is a 2009 Australian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

starring

Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing car ...

. It is based on

Georgia Blain Georgia Frances Elise Blain (12 December 19649 December 2016) was an Australians, Australian novelist, journalist and biographer. Biography Born in Sydney in 1964 to journalist and broadcaster Anne Deveson (d. 2016) and broadcaster Ellis Blain ...

's critically acclaimed novel of the same title. The film was produced by Goalpost Pictures.

Synopsis

The film depicts the emotional and poetic story of a beautiful young woman, Elise, who is haunted by a tragic event in her youth. As she attempts to piece together the mystery of her sister's disappearance at the beach, 20 years before when both were children, Elise must face dark family secrets that have remained unspoken. As the past is revealed, she at last finds the courage to begin to live.

Release

The film premiered at the

Adelaide International Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in October ...

on 27 February 2009. On 23 April 2009, it received a theatrical release at select cinemas in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and

Noosa The Shire of Noosa is a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covers an area of . It existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it was ...

Reception

The film has garnered a generally positive critical reception. The

Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in October ...

reviewer praised Imbruglia's "impressive" performance and continued to state that "The beach and the missing child are both motifs which have a powerful place in Australian culture as well as having a particularly local resonance." ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' described the film as "compelling" and praised the performances of Imbruglia and Green. The cinematography of Kim Batterham was also praised. The reviewer expressed that the screenplay should have broadened its emotional range. ''

ABC Australia The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

'' gave the film three stars and praised Imbruglia's and Green's performances. The reviewer was also enthusiastic about Batterham's cinematography but expressed regret at some of the casting. ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' also gave the film three stars. The reviewer remarked on Imbruglia's "impressive" performance. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' agreed with several previous reviewers, praising Imbruglia's performance—"Believably expressing what it must be like to live with ungovernable sorrow, the actress proves to have much more than just a face the camera adores"—as well as that of other cast members: "Younger cast members also impress." The reviewer, however, craved greater dialogue and did not feel that Elise (Imbruglia) and co-worker Martin (Frederiksen) were a believable couple. The reviewer concluded with exemplary comments on the technical aspects of the film, describing it as "first class", and going on to say, "Kim Batterham's striking widescreen imagery casts a warm glow over the youthful summer flashbacks, with tighter, cooler framing for Elise's troubled present. Rita Zanchetta's outstanding production design features Dorothy's house as a time-frozen mausoleum of anguish that creaks and groans with what seems to be its own shallow breath."

Box office

''Closed For Winter'' grossed $53,370 at the box office in Australia.

References

External links