''Mullet'' is an Australian film released in 2001, written and directed by

David Caesar David Caesar (born 1963) is an Australian television and film director and writer. He grew up in Turlinjah on the south coast of NSW and attended school in nearby Moruya where he was school captain in his senior year. Caesar graduated from the ...

, and starring

Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his breakout role in ''The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) and since then he has had roles in films such as '' Animal Kingdom'' (2010) ...

Susie Porter Susie Porter (born 1970 or 1971) is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She made her debut in the 1996 film '' Idiot Box'', before rising to prominence in films including '' Paradise Road'' (1997), ''Welcome to Woop Woop'' (1997) ...

and Andrew Gilbert.

Plot summary

In the film, Eddie (Ben Mendelsohn) returns to his home town on the south coast of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Having left for the city without explanation 3 years ago, he tries to pick up the pieces of his life and fit back into the lives of those he left, including his ex-girlfriend Tully (Susie Porter) and brother Pete (Andrew Gilbert). The title of the film comes from Eddie's nickname and from his attempts to make a living

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

mullet. The film succeeds in a very human portrayal of the difficulties in living on the fringe of a close-knit community. The drama of the developing relationships is supported by very dry comedy (archetypical

Australian humour Australian comedy (or Australian humour) refers to the comedy and humour performed in or about Australia or by the people of Australia. Australian humour can be traced to various origins, and today is manifested in a diversity of cultural pra ...

) and detailed but understated design.

Cast

Production

The film was based on a short story written by writer-director David Caesar. Caesar and Producer Vincent Sheehan stated that the budget for the film was approximately . The film was shot in its entirety in the town of

Gerringong Gerringong () is a town located about ten minutes drive south of Kiama, and about twenty minutes north of Nowra in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. At the , Gerringong had a population of 3,966. On ...

over four weeks in June 2000. Originally, Sheehan had intended to shoot interiors in Sydney, but found the cost of doing so was prohibitive within the film's budget. Production benefitted from the involvement of the local residents and the community, including the

Kiama Knights The Kiama Knights are an Australian rugby league football team based in Kiama, a coastal town of the Illawarra and South Coast regions. The club was formed in 1914 as one of the founding members of South Coast Rugby League, and continue to parti ...

rugby league club and cameo performances by Mick Cronin and

Steve Starling Steve (Starlo) Starling is an Australian sports fishing writer and television personality who has appeared in many of Rex Hunt's Fishing Adventure programs on the Seven Network. He has published twenty books on the subject of angling Angli ...

, both well known Australian television personalities. While shooting was undertaken on a tight schedule, in it was eight years from first concept to completion. Total box office has been reported as .

Awards and nominations

AFI Awards, 2001 *Nominated: Best Actor *Nominated: Best Supporting Actor *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress *Nominated: Best Director *Nominated: Best Original Screenplay

Australian Screen Sound Guild The Australian Screen Sound Guild was formed in 1988 to represent people working in audio engineering and post-production in film, television, multimedia and other related audio industries. such as those involved with location sound, sound editi ...

, 2001 *Won: Best Achievement in Sound for a Feature Film – Dialogue & ADR Editing

Australian Writers' Guild The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) is the professional association for Australian performance writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962. The AWG is a member of the Australian Council of ...

, 2001 *Won: Awgie Award – Feature Film – Original Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, 2001 *Won: Best Screenplay – Original *Won: Best Supporting Actor – Male *Nominated: Best Actor – Male *Nominated: Best Director *Nominated: Best Film *Nominated: Best Supporting Actor – Female

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...

, 2001 *Won: Best Director

Box office

''Mullet'' grossed $1,165,606 at the box office in Australia.

References

External links

* Review by John Flaus
An Impressionist Work: ''Mullet''
''senses of cinema'', 2001. Retrieved January 2008
Official websiteMullet at the National Film and Sound Archive
*
Mullet
at Oz Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullet (Film) 2001 films Australian comedy films 2001 comedy films Films directed by David Caesar Films set in New South Wales Films shot in New South Wales 2000s English-language films