This could have been so much better. The story was quite good, but could have been told in half the time. The rest of the movie was padded out with pointless fantasy/dream sequences which added nothing at all to the story. It was also interspersed with random pop-type songs, totally out of keeping with the on-screen action or the time period setting. The action scenes and violence were over-the-top and unbelievable to the point where I thought the Director was trying to be Australia's answer to Tarantino!
48 Reviews
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY BUT WEAK PREMISE
movieguy30006 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
From the moment I saw an image of a family on bed of trees a poorly edited cross dissolved shot - i knew this was not going to be good. A bad decision by the editor and or director. Then came the instant disjointed shots jumping from current to fantasy flashbacks so quick - it puts you off and irritates you instantly. Then you get some text on screen explaining the characters and their history and traits. So we are already off to a bad start.
Its a shame that with all the great Aussie landscapes here that this film falls flat on its back. Cast were very good as well as the cinematography, locations and costume design but thats it. The story is weak and the characters have NO layers and no emotion other than hatred or revenge. The Aboriginal flashbacks and fantasy / spiritual aspects are just plain artistic arty farty rubbish that is an obvious attempt to try and be artistic. These moments makes the film disjointed and the female revenge plot feels very tarantino and very feminism politically. These moments add nothing to move the story forward and there are way too many characters to follow. If you have NO emotion, you have no film, a bunch of sensless killing and repeated rape scenes made me feel nothing. When the lady was being raped, as a director you need to show us the pain of what this poor woman is going through instead you chose the wrong shot size and angle. When the daughter is shot dead, you cut so quick to the next scene you didn't even give me a chance to feel the death, so important for the audience. I feel there this may be a bunch of white folk trying to tell an indigenous story to pat themselves on the back for feeling of white guilt. On the contrary i do applaud them for the effort overall. The score could have been much more cinematic with these landscapes so there is another missed opportunity. People say this was a good film, but in fact it was hard to watch and was boring even with all those action scenes. Would not recommend at all.
Its an obvious attempt at recreating a Tarantino style film. The pop music really made this even worse as the film fails at sticking to a theme. Is this experimental?
To finish it all off were the cheesy closing credits, with The Bag Guys, etc this felt unnatural in a film that should have focused more on the indigenous story and not all the cheesyness and excessive amount of kills.
Overall good acting, landscapes and cinematography. Bad story, directing and editing and music.
Its a shame that with all the great Aussie landscapes here that this film falls flat on its back. Cast were very good as well as the cinematography, locations and costume design but thats it. The story is weak and the characters have NO layers and no emotion other than hatred or revenge. The Aboriginal flashbacks and fantasy / spiritual aspects are just plain artistic arty farty rubbish that is an obvious attempt to try and be artistic. These moments makes the film disjointed and the female revenge plot feels very tarantino and very feminism politically. These moments add nothing to move the story forward and there are way too many characters to follow. If you have NO emotion, you have no film, a bunch of sensless killing and repeated rape scenes made me feel nothing. When the lady was being raped, as a director you need to show us the pain of what this poor woman is going through instead you chose the wrong shot size and angle. When the daughter is shot dead, you cut so quick to the next scene you didn't even give me a chance to feel the death, so important for the audience. I feel there this may be a bunch of white folk trying to tell an indigenous story to pat themselves on the back for feeling of white guilt. On the contrary i do applaud them for the effort overall. The score could have been much more cinematic with these landscapes so there is another missed opportunity. People say this was a good film, but in fact it was hard to watch and was boring even with all those action scenes. Would not recommend at all.
Its an obvious attempt at recreating a Tarantino style film. The pop music really made this even worse as the film fails at sticking to a theme. Is this experimental?
To finish it all off were the cheesy closing credits, with The Bag Guys, etc this felt unnatural in a film that should have focused more on the indigenous story and not all the cheesyness and excessive amount of kills.
Overall good acting, landscapes and cinematography. Bad story, directing and editing and music.
If there's nothing better on
trounce-198589 April 2021
Ok story showing atrocities committed but acting and story fail towards the end.
Biggest disappointment is the indigenous language, costume, hair design and makeup which is very misleading of the time period.
Perhaps the story is better suited to an international audience who are ignorant of certain factuals.
Biggest disappointment is the indigenous language, costume, hair design and makeup which is very misleading of the time period.
Perhaps the story is better suited to an international audience who are ignorant of certain factuals.
Glossy Looking Rubbish, but Rubbish Nevertheless!
spookyrat127 November 2022
I've never done this before, but as we know there's a first time for everything. At time of writing this review, The Flood, according to IMDB has a rating of 4.5, which I can completely understand, though I personally think it's a little high. Bear with me here. There are 47 user reviews, about 40 of which have scores of 9 or 10. Make sense statistically? No, I don't think so either. I've always been a sceptic, but maybe there is some truth to that IMDB urban legend about cast and crew of these sort of C grade movies, all collectively contributing powder puff reviews complete with outstanding numerical ratings in a crass effort to increase their film's audience.
Because Victoria Wharfe McIntyre's film, while visually magnificent, is the cinema equivalent of a rather rancid piece of mutton dressed up as succulent lamb. I weep for the contributors on this forum who actually believe this trippy little wannabe Tarantino downunder piece, has some sort of historical pretensions. No the Australian government wasn't in any conspiracy with Catholic missions to provide indigenous slave labour on farms and stations, as the film alleges in its opening scrolled notes. And no, post World War 2 rural Australian townspeople didn't engage in wholesale rapings and killings of indigenous people at the drop of a slouch hat. The town posse sequence for instance! I mean the film even confuses itself over this. First it states that there was this officially - sanctioned slave labour process, but then suggests that the beneficiaries of the said labour, just shot them up, whenever the yen took them.
And then we come to the technical aspects of The Flood. The acting is just plain ordinary. The characterisations almost uniformly cardboard, especially those of the villainous whites. About the only stereotypical image we weren't dished up, was some guy with a waxed moustache tying an Aboriginal girl in a white dress to a set of railway tracks. We got just about everything else including an incredibly intrusive and anachronistic soundtrack, choppy editing and repetition of certain scenes, dream sequences which only added to the main narrative's overall incoherence and John Woo style slow motion action scenes which added nothing to the sequences, apart from reminding us continually that McIntyre loves to ape and pay homage to far better directors. She even bizarrely finds the time in this overlong film to throw in a flashback/dream Mad Max reference. Make of it what you will.
I have no issue with writer/directors such as McIntyre wanting to make films about the injustices that First Nations people have suffered. But let's try and start with a semi - realistic storyline, such as that offered by The (far better) Nightingale. The Flood is a contradictory jumble of themes, ideas and characters that undermines any valuable points that McIntyre was possibly trying to make about colonialism and racial hatred. Best avoided.
Because Victoria Wharfe McIntyre's film, while visually magnificent, is the cinema equivalent of a rather rancid piece of mutton dressed up as succulent lamb. I weep for the contributors on this forum who actually believe this trippy little wannabe Tarantino downunder piece, has some sort of historical pretensions. No the Australian government wasn't in any conspiracy with Catholic missions to provide indigenous slave labour on farms and stations, as the film alleges in its opening scrolled notes. And no, post World War 2 rural Australian townspeople didn't engage in wholesale rapings and killings of indigenous people at the drop of a slouch hat. The town posse sequence for instance! I mean the film even confuses itself over this. First it states that there was this officially - sanctioned slave labour process, but then suggests that the beneficiaries of the said labour, just shot them up, whenever the yen took them.
And then we come to the technical aspects of The Flood. The acting is just plain ordinary. The characterisations almost uniformly cardboard, especially those of the villainous whites. About the only stereotypical image we weren't dished up, was some guy with a waxed moustache tying an Aboriginal girl in a white dress to a set of railway tracks. We got just about everything else including an incredibly intrusive and anachronistic soundtrack, choppy editing and repetition of certain scenes, dream sequences which only added to the main narrative's overall incoherence and John Woo style slow motion action scenes which added nothing to the sequences, apart from reminding us continually that McIntyre loves to ape and pay homage to far better directors. She even bizarrely finds the time in this overlong film to throw in a flashback/dream Mad Max reference. Make of it what you will.
I have no issue with writer/directors such as McIntyre wanting to make films about the injustices that First Nations people have suffered. But let's try and start with a semi - realistic storyline, such as that offered by The (far better) Nightingale. The Flood is a contradictory jumble of themes, ideas and characters that undermines any valuable points that McIntyre was possibly trying to make about colonialism and racial hatred. Best avoided.
Confused mess.
alenshields11 May 2021
Artici Fartsi
wal_pyrih-392142 January 2022
Impactful and important film of truth telling
sburnwhite17 January 2021
A drama of loss, bloodshed and vengeance...
paul_haakonsen7 January 2021
Granted, I only glanced at the movie's cover before sitting down to watching it, so I didn't really know what I was in for, as I hadn't heard about the movie prior to watching it, nor did I read the synopsis. I thought it to be a Western of sorts.
Turns out that this wasn't a Western at all. Instead I was sitting down to watch an Australian historical drama. And now I am not overly traversed within the Australian history, so this was all new territory for me. And from what the movie delivered to me in terms of entertainment and enjoyment value, I suppose you have to have been more familiar with the events of Australian history and culture to appreciate the movie fully.
Sure, "The Flood" was watchable, but it was hardly a captivating or overly impressive movie for me. Again, perhaps because I am not familiar with the Australian history. So I can't relate to the events in the movie's storyline, nor did I stand any chance of knowing what to be true or based on true events, and what was fictional make-belief.
The acting in the movie was good, although I felt that the storyline and the slow pacing of the movie was somehow holding back the performers in delivering everything that they could and should.
My rating of "The Flood" settles on a generous four out of ten stars. This movie wasn't really aimed at me as its target audience, and I wasn't really getting swept away, nor could I fully sink myself into the storyline and the events that transpired in the story. But I am sure that writer and director Victoria Wharfe McIntyre managed to dish out a movie that will have a greater appeal to people Down Under.
Turns out that this wasn't a Western at all. Instead I was sitting down to watch an Australian historical drama. And now I am not overly traversed within the Australian history, so this was all new territory for me. And from what the movie delivered to me in terms of entertainment and enjoyment value, I suppose you have to have been more familiar with the events of Australian history and culture to appreciate the movie fully.
Sure, "The Flood" was watchable, but it was hardly a captivating or overly impressive movie for me. Again, perhaps because I am not familiar with the Australian history. So I can't relate to the events in the movie's storyline, nor did I stand any chance of knowing what to be true or based on true events, and what was fictional make-belief.
The acting in the movie was good, although I felt that the storyline and the slow pacing of the movie was somehow holding back the performers in delivering everything that they could and should.
My rating of "The Flood" settles on a generous four out of ten stars. This movie wasn't really aimed at me as its target audience, and I wasn't really getting swept away, nor could I fully sink myself into the storyline and the events that transpired in the story. But I am sure that writer and director Victoria Wharfe McIntyre managed to dish out a movie that will have a greater appeal to people Down Under.
Worth a watch
kurtisbeacroft7 January 2021
Powerful
johnknights-492377 January 2021
A Cheap Proposition
filmeddows-595247 January 2021
This is no Red Hill. Actually at times I'm not sure if it's trying to be Bran Nue Day or The Propositions, however if you are looking for a modern film that explores the suffrage of first nations people with a touch of tradition. This is one amongst a small list of films available to watch. The acting and cinematography is exceptional, however the editing, direction and all round Composition of the film is horrific. The films major lack is that it has no strong protagonist. It's just a series of characters going through a series of events.
It doesn't give the audience a chance to become attached to any of the characters journeys. It drops in and out of artistic intention without provocation and loses it's audience in the typical Australian Contemporary Cinema style, where experimentation is used to give subtext overshadowing the audience's desire for understanding and wastes valuable time exploring themes that need no further explanation.
This film is irritating in that it could be so much better had it been given to an experienced post production team focused on just telling the story and not trying to be clever.
This is not a Saturday night movie, but a Sunday afternoon time killer.
Don't get me wrong, I am so happy movies like this are being made in Australia, and I did enjoy watching this one. It has so many amazing scenes, but the entire film as a whole leaves me feeling patronised. It is a shame and it angers me that this film will disappear into the SBS B grade Australian films catalogue that only get played on television once every 10 years.
In all honesty this is exactly the kind of film that gets made with government funding hoping to cater to an imaginary demographic that does not exist. It's a Black Exploitation film that hides behind being a Biographical piece in order to present neo feminist perspectives.
An Australian poor mans version of Django Unchained. But I feel that the director is a wanna be Wes Andersen trying to make a film to impress Peter weir.
However if you want the blatant truth. The fundamental reason why this film will suck to many who watch it, is simple because the entire budget was spent on the filming leaving very little funding to post production and vast amount of attention needed to make this film what it could have potentially been.
This is not a bad film it just jumps around allot and you have to be in the right mood to enjoy it through perseverance.
Bitter Springs will probably give you a closer connection to Aboriginal victimisation if that is what your in the mood for.
All done and said, this is an exceptional first film from a production team and cast that show allot of promise.
It doesn't give the audience a chance to become attached to any of the characters journeys. It drops in and out of artistic intention without provocation and loses it's audience in the typical Australian Contemporary Cinema style, where experimentation is used to give subtext overshadowing the audience's desire for understanding and wastes valuable time exploring themes that need no further explanation.
This film is irritating in that it could be so much better had it been given to an experienced post production team focused on just telling the story and not trying to be clever.
This is not a Saturday night movie, but a Sunday afternoon time killer.
Don't get me wrong, I am so happy movies like this are being made in Australia, and I did enjoy watching this one. It has so many amazing scenes, but the entire film as a whole leaves me feeling patronised. It is a shame and it angers me that this film will disappear into the SBS B grade Australian films catalogue that only get played on television once every 10 years.
In all honesty this is exactly the kind of film that gets made with government funding hoping to cater to an imaginary demographic that does not exist. It's a Black Exploitation film that hides behind being a Biographical piece in order to present neo feminist perspectives.
An Australian poor mans version of Django Unchained. But I feel that the director is a wanna be Wes Andersen trying to make a film to impress Peter weir.
However if you want the blatant truth. The fundamental reason why this film will suck to many who watch it, is simple because the entire budget was spent on the filming leaving very little funding to post production and vast amount of attention needed to make this film what it could have potentially been.
This is not a bad film it just jumps around allot and you have to be in the right mood to enjoy it through perseverance.
Bitter Springs will probably give you a closer connection to Aboriginal victimisation if that is what your in the mood for.
All done and said, this is an exceptional first film from a production team and cast that show allot of promise.
Good Movie
rbalym7 January 2021
Good movie , Great dedication to the stolen children from the aboriginal community , To understand this film you need to understand the aboriginal culture . Don't go by FilmMcCool reviews him/her doesn't give many good reviews , You need to see for yourself to understand the film
I am still thinking about it....
allensparsons8 January 2021
I was so blown away by this film.
I think I have to see it again. I felt the purpose and feeling in every frame.
Well considered, brutal at times, but wonderful film.
Also, Shaka is truly a beautiful actor. See you in Hamilton.
Bad Things Coming
nogodnomasters1 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The film takes place during the WWII era. Australian indigenous men are promised full citizen rights if they fight in the war and their family will be taken care of. Waru (Shaka Cook) goes off to fight while his wife and child are separated and raped. Things escalate to the point of a Tarantino film.
It got good about an hour into the film when it went from a drama to an action film. It is a timely film about broken government promises, racism, and family separation.
Guide: No swearing or nudity. rape.
It got good about an hour into the film when it went from a drama to an action film. It is a timely film about broken government promises, racism, and family separation.
Guide: No swearing or nudity. rape.
Well done
jessicalang-8512410 January 2021
Brilliant Film
paulkudrov8 January 2021
Powerful New Classic of Australian Cinema
owenleong-4723010 January 2021
The Flood is a powerful new classic of Australian cinema. This is original, courageous and compelling film making at its finest. Filled with action and adventure as Jarrah as seeks vengeance for her family, some scenes are confronting to watch, but this is a unique feminist truth-telling of a dark chapter of Australian colonial history. Both direction and script are superb, and convey a highly complex subject and story. The music score and sound design are flawless, putting you right in the heart of the action. What makes this film stand head and shoulders above the rest is the agency it gives to women of colour and First Nations people. These characters come out on top at the end of the film, which is a positive and powerful way to turn the societal narrative around - this needs to happen more in cinema. If your heart is open to the truth of Australia's dark past, then get ready for a bumpy ride!
Australian story rarely told
rhonistokes8 January 2021
What starts as a simple story known by all Australians - young men leaving home to fight in a foreign war - explodes into a story rarely told but one central to our knowledge of ourselves and our country. Balancing cruelty, violence and hatred with kindness, compassion and love to create three dimensional characters trapped in a monochrome society. I was spellbound throughout the roller-coaster ride The Flood took me on. And cheered out loud at the story's climax.
A flood of emotions
andersonjacob-921718 January 2021
Watch the film
vasquesian8 January 2021
Watch it with your own eyes!
petermave-307398 January 2021
This is the first time I have reviewed on IMDB but will be doing more of it...
After reading some reviews on here, it best to hear it from the horses mouth.
"The Flood is an action-packed dramatic western=styled adventure that uses our nation's history as a framework to support an uncompromising, exacting and at times romantic and delicate female driven story that acts as a parable for race relations in our country," says writer-director Victoria Wharfe McIntyre, making her feature debut with what looks like quite the attention-grabbing pic.
"We take audiences on a roller coaster ride, reimagining history, where women of the era radicalise and push back on expectations. Through living lives of their own choosing they highlight the choices and actions of the brutal society around them."
"The Flood is an action-packed dramatic western=styled adventure that uses our nation's history as a framework to support an uncompromising, exacting and at times romantic and delicate female driven story that acts as a parable for race relations in our country," says writer-director Victoria Wharfe McIntyre, making her feature debut with what looks like quite the attention-grabbing pic.
"We take audiences on a roller coaster ride, reimagining history, where women of the era radicalise and push back on expectations. Through living lives of their own choosing they highlight the choices and actions of the brutal society around them."
Fantastic Film
elizabethphillips-9778312 January 2021
Congrats to The Flood producers.
This Australian film with enormous praise going to the film's visuals and sound effects. The film has many positives and a few elements that I'm honestly brutsl but essential. Very strong performances and great direction.
A very powerful movie
SallyWilliams6 February 2021
Racism & Religion, go too often hand in hand, all over the world. This movie is a strong reminder that the world would be a much better place without it. the depiction in this movie is brutally honest and paints a clear picture of Australia's darkest past. Very emotional & strong
Check out this film
charellekelly12 January 2021
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