"Alice, Adelaide"

7 December 2016

19 mins 35s

Life isn't meant to be easy.

This lyrical and intriguing short film was shot over the course of the eleven days it took to drive from Alice Springs to Adelaide in Northern Australia. The people we meet along the way are unique, each with an individual story to tell.

The man who's been sober for four weeks, the Aboriginal man who feels caught between cultures, the ageing lothario opal miner - the camera gives them all space to relate their own narrative in a way that's affecting in its honesty. There's no attempt to shape characters as good or bad, these people simply are.

The contrast between past and present becomes the main focus as stories emerge from the stark landscape. The small, remote towns and outposts are all battling some level of deprivation. While the larger, more populous cities rely mainly on tourism, the little places along the way have to 'invent things to survive' following the decline of the once prosperous opal mining industry.

The result is a feeling of isolation, beautiful shots of the arid desert landscape only intensifying the sense of emptiness without end. The whole film is quiet and has a meditative stillness which fits the subject matter: this is thought-provoking, gorgeous work from director Novemba.

UK

Short Film