Cedar Boys manages to be intriguing and disappointing at the same time. It is an interesting story portraying Australian youths without including surfers, dingoes or Aborigines, which was a welcome change. It was also interesting to see how the former Lebanonese citizens are able to adapt to a new society where employment options are limited especially for the teenagers or young adults.
They live in a world where all the opportunities for a successful future seem to be afforded to only the non-immigrant population especially the rich, beautiful, white people. Immigrants seem to have little chance to survive without resorting to committing crimes such as selling drugs or committing crimes. How will they fight the urge to join their friends and a few family members in a exciting yet dangerous life of illicit behavior?
The protagonist of the story; Tarek (Les Chantery), tries to live the best of both worlds. He wants to maintain his squeaky-clean, hardworking image in front of his parents and little sister while desperately wanting to be accepted by the rich and famous who frequent some of Sydney's nightclubs.
Tarek is joined by his friend Nadil (Buddy Dannoun) and by a small-time, drug-dealing associate Sam (Waddah Sari) in a quest to find fame and fortune. Unfortunately, they choose to mess with the wrong people. They become entangled with local drug dealers who have little appreciation for their aspirations for a glamorous, care-free lives.
This small budget film can not manage to provide the intensity and emotion that should occur when these two groups collide. The established drug dealers seem mostly dismayed or slightly annoyed that a new gang has encroached their territory. They don't inflict the type of damage necessary to send a message to their rivals and in the process the audience can not be fully engaged in Tarek and his friends' plight. Being slapped around a little by their enemies doesn't convey the fear that these people must have felt in a similar real-life situation. This leaves the viewer less involved than they should be.
The poor camera work also hampers this film. Sometimes scenes are shown with people talking yet you can't see their faces until the cameraman slowly backs out. This doesn't seem to be a deliberate way to build tension, just a lack of skill by the camera operator. Quick pan shots and choppy editing do a disservice to the film. It would have been more enjoyable if the producers had managed to spend a little more money in order to provide a quality product.
Cedar Boys had an opportunity to be an excellent film, but fell short of greatness.
They live in a world where all the opportunities for a successful future seem to be afforded to only the non-immigrant population especially the rich, beautiful, white people. Immigrants seem to have little chance to survive without resorting to committing crimes such as selling drugs or committing crimes. How will they fight the urge to join their friends and a few family members in a exciting yet dangerous life of illicit behavior?
The protagonist of the story; Tarek (Les Chantery), tries to live the best of both worlds. He wants to maintain his squeaky-clean, hardworking image in front of his parents and little sister while desperately wanting to be accepted by the rich and famous who frequent some of Sydney's nightclubs.
Tarek is joined by his friend Nadil (Buddy Dannoun) and by a small-time, drug-dealing associate Sam (Waddah Sari) in a quest to find fame and fortune. Unfortunately, they choose to mess with the wrong people. They become entangled with local drug dealers who have little appreciation for their aspirations for a glamorous, care-free lives.
This small budget film can not manage to provide the intensity and emotion that should occur when these two groups collide. The established drug dealers seem mostly dismayed or slightly annoyed that a new gang has encroached their territory. They don't inflict the type of damage necessary to send a message to their rivals and in the process the audience can not be fully engaged in Tarek and his friends' plight. Being slapped around a little by their enemies doesn't convey the fear that these people must have felt in a similar real-life situation. This leaves the viewer less involved than they should be.
The poor camera work also hampers this film. Sometimes scenes are shown with people talking yet you can't see their faces until the cameraman slowly backs out. This doesn't seem to be a deliberate way to build tension, just a lack of skill by the camera operator. Quick pan shots and choppy editing do a disservice to the film. It would have been more enjoyable if the producers had managed to spend a little more money in order to provide a quality product.
Cedar Boys had an opportunity to be an excellent film, but fell short of greatness.