Safe Harbour (2018) User Reviews

How pacifying it is reaching your Safe Harbour!

[Tariq_94 · 7/10 · 14 September 2018]

This mini series is a beautifully made reminder of human power of forgiveness and developing self-consistency. It delivers a very important message: focus on what you have and not on the past and what you've lost. Moving on isn't easy after traumatic incidents like the ones depicted in this series, but once you face the facts and settle things up in your head you'll be able to move forward. Grudge only deepens your hurt feelings and makes daily life harder.

What bothered me as an Arabic native speaker is the actors speaking Arabic in this show, they kinda strive hard to speak the language; I wish they had only spoken English since many scenes in Arabic sounded a bit inauthentic, especially when it's very obvious that each one speaks different accent despite being one family that all of its members came from the same place, Iraq.

7.0/10

Intrigued by the opposite reviews of this - my bottom line: it's a slog

[sharonkrusso · 6/10 · 18 May 2019]

Great premise, great cast, and very well done. Moves at glacial speed. The "lesson" could be imparted in about 2 episodes. I really don't care if two people had an affair, if the teenage couple texted back and forth, etc. These vignettes just make the series longer and actually detract from the "lesson" the film seeks to impart.

Fantastic mini series

[sj1-750-343344 · 8/10 · 1 April 2018]

Loved it! Not sure how some other reviewers can say it was over acted - for an emotive topic it can't be acted in a bland way. The script rips along as we see all of the characters come to terms with a humanitarian disaster the subsequent impact it has on all their lives and the way they each choose to deal with the ramifications.

Typical Australia TV

[grovervj · 22 March 2018]

I have now watched all 3 episodes and it is getting worse every week. I think the acting is mediocre, special effects and music over the top.

Of course the Australian critics will rave about it as that is what they do, but it does not measure up to some of the BBC thrillers. They have good story telling, drama without excess and believable actors.

As usual Screen Australia have supported a product that should have been rejected, good story, terrible production. Music, acting , lighting, special effects all badly executed.

Implausible but raises moral dilemmas

[peterrichboy · 7/10 · 10 February 2019]

We don't get to see to many Australian dramas in the UK the ones I have seen have been somewhat mixed. But I did enjoy screen Australia's Safe Harbour. Four parts long it tells the story of a group of friends on a sailing trip who come across a group of stranded boat refugees trying to make there way for a better life in Australia.

Taking away the plot holes and implausibility of the story it does at least ask the question what would you do in the same circumstances? They decide to tow the ship to Australia. What follows is how the lives of the people on both boats have been affected 5 years later by the actions of one person.

The subject of refugees a relevant one in all westernised countries right now, and whatever your thoughts on Safe Harbour as a one off drama are, it does at least raise the question what would happen if the decision is left to members of the public as opposed to governments.

Decent but could have been so much better

[lapaulmac · 7/10 · 13 August 2020]

Started off with great potential and really looked forward to the possibilities of the storyline. I felt it petered out a little & almost could have been developed more On the plus side was 4 episodes and it's a nice change to have sometimes short & Sweet to pass some time. Overall it was definitely worth watching and a great underlying story but just felt it lacked depth & that something extra to elevate it

Moral questions are raised in this Australian drama

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 10 February 2019]

Five years before the events depicted in this drama a group of five Australian friends enjoyed a sailing holiday in the seas south of Indonesia. Then they came across a boat overloaded with refugees hoping to cross to Australia; after some discussion they decided to give them a tow. In the present Ryan Gallagher, the boat's skipper, meets Ismail Al-Bayati, one of the refugees, who is now a Brisbane taxi driver, and invites him and his family to dinner. It soon becomes clear that the Australians hadn't towed the refugees back to Australia. They are accused of cutting the tow rope during the night and abandoning the refugees, leading to the death of Ismail's sick daughter.

As events unfold questions are raised... did one of the people on the yacht cut the rope, and if so who? Or was it cut by one of the refugees when they realised that the yacht was in fact towing them towards Indonesia as a storm approached. The pressure rises further when the police start an investigation and truths start to emerge.

This was an impressive four part drama. I raises interesting moral questions that has the viewer wondering what they would do if they found themselves in a similar situation to the five sailors. There is a good sense of mystery as we wonder who cut the rope and the finger of suspicion moves from one character to another. If there I have one complaint it is that the identity of the person who cut the rope is revealed at the end of the third episode leading to a rather melodramatic finale. The cast does a solid job bringing the various characters to life and making the dilemma seem real. Overall I'd say this is well worth watching.

Quite a good series

[gallagherkellie · 7/10 · 18 August 2020]

I love short series like this! The acting was great, especially by the refugee family. The storyline made you think and wonder what you would do. I do find a few things strange such as the ending with the daughter...he was taking her to a park to kill her?? And he didn't 'let her go' she ran. But all is forgiven?

Don't come for Screen Australia

[ltini-01461 · 10/10 · 27 July 2018]

Not only is this TV mini-series insightful, educational and thought-provoking; but it is jam-packed with thrilling cinematography, second-to-none acting from Australia's finest and the occasional nail-biting action scene. Brisbane's suburbia put on display is something truly special showing Australia's diversity and that we don't only have Sydney here. Thanks

Much better than some of the reviews indicate

[Vindelander · 7/10 · 19 February 2019]

An interesting storyline but does tend to drag on for too long. Would have been better condensed into 3 episodes. Still entertaining though and acting is workmanlike with good cast.

Another Slow Burn

[mbazhome · 4/10 · 26 May 2019]

Could have been better. The actors were good, but the story wasn't interesting enough for more than a couple of episodes. The characters were all pretty irritating. At the end I really didn't care who cut the rope!! I give this a 4.

Ignore the Rascist Rants - Thought Provoking and Brilliant TV

[trustn-47834 · 10/10 · 12 March 2018]

Unlike the Rasisct 'white Power' rant posted by 'Arize' I intend to Review this Series for what it is and not make some Political B/S statement that has nothing to do with reviewing it.

A Brilliant Piece of Confrontational TV, with a nice Mystery on the Boil, with the Police becoming involved from ep2.

I think Ewen Leslie is one of Australia's best Actors, he was Excellent in Devils Dust which was all about the Cover Ups during Asbestos Mining in Australia as one of Many Examples of His Work in this country. Jackie Mckenzie is always good in anything She does, as is Leanna Walsman.

The Middle Eastern Actors, esp the Mum/Dad and Son whose Daughter/Sister died on the Journey Over at sea are so gut achingly real that You feel both their sadness and anger over their Combined Loss.

It was also Refreshing to see correct Nautical Terms in use, for example "Pan Pan" rather then the stock standard Mayday which is not used in Australian Waters by those Familiar with Sea Crossings in an emergency situation.

The Cinematography is beautiful but stark and being a SCUBA Diver myself Special Mention should be made of the Underwater Photography Units work. Stephen Reas Music is both haunting and evocative for the scenes it backgrounds.

Only 1 ep in but I am hooked and can't wait to see how it develops as the story continues.

10/10.

As the Newspaper Guardian Australia said its own Review 'unmissable Television with No Easy Answers'.

Sums it up perfectly, a Thinking Persons TV Program. Highly Recommended.

Overdramatizing Improbable Assumption...

[fatcouchpotato · 6/10 · 21 September 2018]

I watched only the first episode. This review is for those that have done the same.

It's a good story with a interesting look into two vastly different cultures. But the spin given at the reunion gathering in where the immigrant mother who exploded with what I see as confusing agony. Hear me out.

This character made a rather as my title says an overdramatizing improbable assumption... she somehow beyond reasonable rationality assumed the Aussie family purposely left them to suffer adrift far from land that unfortunately resulted in several deaths. Can our cultures be so different that one could assume such evil is not only intentional, but that one could also care so little that they would live carefree and able to laugh in the presence of such despicable regard for human life?

To that I say, not plausible. Unless one were actually mentally psychotic, I just can't fathom such blatant disregard for humanity.

Also, while I know the Islamic our extremely faithful to their religion, the god stuff was just overkill and it diluted the genuineness of the perceived intense emotion.

Sorry, but scientific probability leaves no possibility other than, that there is no Santa Claus or god.

But there is a world full of people that shouldn't let witheringly outdated campfire stories convince their highly potential minds to believe in figments of an antiquated imagination.

Peace.

Refreshing premise but characters too dislikable

[daniellechristinamurphy · 5/10 · 26 February 2019]

I enjoyed the backdrop to this show, and the fact that I hadn't seen anything with this kind of storyline previously. However, it was difficult to really get invested in the show as the characters, particularly the Australia's, were entirely dislikable.

Initial Sighting

[WilM65 · 8 December 2022]

So, I'm only 20 minutes in, on watching S1E1, Troubles me how seemingly ungrateful, so far, that the refugees are towards any attempts to help them. The Australian vacationers did Not put the refugees in the initial position to flee for asylum and sail upon the rough seas. I know a lot of such people that would also react the same , kinda ungrateful...There, I said it.... Even as it seems so far in my 25 minutes of viewing, I see no obligation of the Australians , nor reasons to be guilty. But the refugees are from a very sensitive emotional area of the world that has lots and lots of Unfairness in human life. So, I'm not too surprised by their reactions. Sorry.

Great actress triumphs over confused plot

[clewis2666 · 6/10 · 11 February 2019]

The great thing about this "thriller" was, in the opinion of this UK resident, the convincing performance by the beautiful Nicole Chamoun. She seems, unusually, to come from some inner place which informs her performance and gives it a truth which acting generally lacks. Some top-quality director needs to latch on to her very soon. I am totally uninterested in gender and diversity agendas. I am only interested in whether I am watching a gripping and, above all, convincing drama. This was not one such. Other reviewers have pointed out various inconsistencies in the plot. For myself, I found that, in short, it did not make sense. I could never work out if the yacht at the time the fishing boat was observed was still heading away from Australia, probably towards Indonesia, or was already going back to Australia. We seem to be told at one time that they were towing the refugees' craft back towards Indonesia, which clearly the latter would not have wanted. There was some talk about the yacht changing direction (in the night?), But I never understood when or why. We were told earlier on that the vote whether or not to help the refugees was something like 5 to 1 (I won't say which way). Yet later it is revealed in a flashback that it was very different. We are told at one point that a member of the refugees I will not disclose who) cut the rope, and yet the denouement tells us something very different. The various, and many, interchanges between the two families go up and down, in terms of friendship and hostility, in an inconsistent and unconvincing fashion, heavily violent one moment and all tender and forgiving the next. There is a lot of bad behaviour by the Australian husband, only topped, to the point of being ludicrous, by the baleful hysteria of his sister, who, when she learns of an old boyfriend's infidelity (whom she hadn't seen for years) goes quite mad. So, in all, fairly daft and only worth having watched (for four hours!) for that lady's performance (without which I would not have bothered to write this review).

Keeps you questioning yourself

[gkdyer-62921 · 9/10 · 26 April 2018]

I found this series to be very thought provoking, and found myself often wondering what I would have done in the same situation. I found the acting to be realistic and believable, and the script was true to the local lingo. The subject matter remains topical and series such as this one help to put a human face to people often referred to as "boat people".

Well made drama that delivers a powerful message

[trymee · 8/10 · 24 July 2020]

Despite what some other reviewers infer, Safe Harbour is quality Australian drama. We all have different tastes so of course not everybody that does have an appreciation for the genre is going to enjoy this story, if they watched the entire thing and still scored it low, I accept their opinion without hesitation. Not so from anyone that only watched a bit of it and didn't give it a chance - their reviews never have any legitimacy with me.

People that enjoy trash like Farmer Wants a Wife, MAFS, those god awful American trailer trash Khardashians and all the other reality crap that makes me embarrassed to be a human, are not gonna get it - not in a month of Sunday's. And then there are the people that spew out hate about any and everything, the internet is awash with them. Most are cowards that hide behind the anonymity and therefore - utterly irrelevant.

You always need to weed those reviews out before you can get a clear picture of what the show or film is like.

Safe Harbour does a great job of showing the damage caused by animosity and intransigence. The show is a good dramatisation based on the very real sad instances of refugees on boats occurring all around the world. It's intelligent and layered. One thing it was not was predictable because there were parts of the story I didn't see coming, notably the biggest revelation of the story. Of course I'm not saying what or where it occurred, for those that have seen it - the tick.

The powerful message - as another reviewer has already mentioned: Focus on what you have and not what you've lost.

As if...

[ozjosh03 · 3/10 · 14 April 2018]

The creators of Safe Harbour certainly deserve credit for attempting to construct a dramatic metaphor around the hot-button topic of asylum seekers. Beyond that they deserve very little credit at all, since what they came up with is tortuously contrived, unconvincing from start to finish, and so shot through with plot holes and implausible behaviour that nobody with their brain engaged could possibly identify with any of the characters, much less mistake the unfolding drama for some kind of parable about Australian attitudes to refugees. The drama starts some years after the central Aussie characters have encountered a refugee boat in peril on the open seas, and voted as to whether to tow it to safety, only to have one of them cut the tow rope in the dead of night. When they encounter some of the surviving refugees some years later it sparks arguments about what happened and who cut the rope - as if this wasn't ever discussed in the immediate aftermath or in the intervening years. Moreover, despite bitter divisions about what took place and guilt on the part of at least a few of their number, they all agree to a invite the refugees to an Aussie barbie. Yeah, "as if". But "as if" increasingly becomes the response to almost every plot development. Like Ryan discovering that his daughter has been secretly texting the son of the refugee family, with whom they are now locked in a bitter dispute. Yet he doesn't make her delete the number and halt communication. As if. Later, after breaking in to the refugees flat (as if), he discovers a family planning consultation receipt and immediately leaps to the conclusion that it must be his own daughter who is knocked up by the refugee son (giant, smelly pulsating AS IF). The animosity between the Aussies and the refugees builds and builds, yet at every turn one or other of the characters forces further communication, thereby making things worse. "As if" to every single instance. One is left wondering if the writers have ever even stumbled across the concept of character motivation, given that these characters continually do whatever goes directly against their own best interests - all for the sake of the increasingly implausible drama. I continued to watch out of some misguided sense of duty - given the importance of the underlying issues - but only through gritted teeth and clenched jaw. I really wish I hadn't.

Smart, Sophisticated & Briiliant

[johnmolloy-98955 · 9/10 · 30 April 2022]

I was taken by surprise by this show. I am not sure what I expected but was quickly captured by the intelligence and talent on show - the drama is so finely tuned. The writing, direction and performances are a high point for Australian drama.

Boring & Uninteresting

[CaptRon-2 · 4/10 · 24 August 2018]

Ignoring some less than stellar acting, the storyline is simply boring. The tension is forced and feels fake, and the story doesn't draw the viewer in to care for any of the characters.

Bingeable

[budgiecage · 10/10 · 25 July 2020]

Come across this when desperately looking for something decent to watch. I had never heard of it before but my wife and I enjoyed it immensely.

Australian Masterpiece

[transport-44818 · 10/10 · 2 April 2019]

I loved every minute of this series, it was too short.

Need another series.

Disappointing at best

[deanjyoung · 3/10 · 30 March 2018]

This was one of those series where by the story is lacking and the production is so over the top that the more you watch the more frustrated you become. Utterly disappointed

Bad filming style and the dumbest Australians

[jpc-19 · 3/10 · 14 February 2021]

First this bits and pieces of how the episode on the sea unfolded is annoying, few minutes at a time is awful in other movies and it doesnt work for this one. Also the Australians with a yacht, how can they even get along with society when the most obvious things they cannot figure out and make the worst decisions- it makes people on a horror movie genius. The dad is just beyond a wimp and sees the refugee sitting in a cab outside his sleepy neighborhood and cant figure out hes being stalked. The refugee family commits many crimes against him but he wont report it. The refugee guy suspected of a crime is defended by a lady from the yacht that this refugee family hates. The ignorance of the Australians is so predictable and the arrogance of the refugees is non stop. The agenda is to make Australians being sorry to be alive, cant watch anymore.