2:37
2:37 | |
---|---|
Directed by | Murali K. Thalluri |
Written by | Murali K. Thalluri |
Produced by | Kent Smith Murali K. Thalluri Nick Remy Matthews |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Nick Remy Matthews |
Edited by | Dale Roberts Murali K. Thalluri Nick Remy Matthews |
Music by | Mark Tschanz |
Distributed by | Roadshow Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Box office | A$447,290 (Australia) |
2:37 is a 2006 Australian
2:37 had its world premiere at Cannes and its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was released in Australia on 17 August 2006.
Plot
A student hears the sound of someone falling within the disabled bathroom. They approach and see blood flowing out from under the door.
Marcus is an intelligent student and skilled
At school, Melody meets up with Luke. Marcus goes to the music room and begins playing classical music. He is joined by Kelly, who congratulates him on a well-written creative story he wrote for English. When Kelly inquires into the story, Marcus abruptly leaves.
Luke is shown bullying other students and discussing sexual fantasies with his friends. Melody shies away from personal questions about her family, while Sarah discusses how madly in love she is with Luke. Steven is forced to change his pants after wetting himself in class. Sean is deeply frustrated with non-accepting views towards homosexuality, and it is evident that his sexuality is no secret. Marcus is confronted by his English teacher about some disturbing content of his English story.
Melody takes a
Steven wets his pants again; since he had only one set of spare clothing, he waits in the stall for the stain to dry. Sean sees the school counsellor and describes his parents' unhappiness about his sexual orientation. After the session, he hides in the janitor's room
Sean confronts Luke about why he does not speak to him in public. They kiss, until Luke gets angry with himself and yells at Sean. Sean storms out, angry with Luke for not coming out. All this is overheard by Steven, still in the stall. In his rage, Luke smashes a bathroom door and sees Steven; he punches him in the nose and threatens him not to say anything. Exiting the bathroom with a bloody nose, Steven is comforted by Kelly, who offers him a tissue. In the library, fishing for information, one of Sarah's friends approaches Marcus and 'casually' mentions that his sister is pregnant. Marcus is furious; it is revealed in flashback that he raped his sister while their parents were away. He finds and confronts Melody, yelling at and shoving her and demanding to know if it is true. Kelly witnesses this.
It is revealed that it was Kelly who committed suicide. She
Cast
- Teresa Palmer as Melody
- Frank Sweet as Marcus
- Sam Harris as Luke
- Charles Baird as Steven
- Joel Mackenzie as Sean
- Marni Spillane as Sarah
- Clementine Mellor as Kelly
- Sarah Hudsonas Julz
- Gary Sweet as Mr. Darcy
- Amy Schapel as Lacey
- Xavier Samuel as Theo
- Chris Olver as Tom
Production
The director says he was inspired to make the film by a suicide of a friend and his own suicide attempt.[1]
Reception
The film encountered early commercial success, generating more than three times its production costs in distribution sales. Another victory for the film was a 17-minute standing ovation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
Critics and audiences were divided in their reaction, particularly regarding the graphic teenage suicide scene at the end of the film and a rape scene between a brother and a young sister. Some mental health groups described the film as "dangerous",[3] with concerns that it will lead to copycat suicides. Variety's Justin Chang has described it as "A queasy exploitation picture masquerading as a serious dramatic treatment of teen suicide".[4] Preview screenings reportedly led to some audience members walking out or fainting in response to the graphic rape and suicide scenes. Other critics complained that the film is too similar to Gus Van Sant's 2003 film Elephant.[5]
However, some critics praised the movie. Urban Cinefile calls it "a stunning debut"
Further controversy has arisen around Thalluri's claims that the movie was written about a friend Kelly Mason, who sent him a video suicide note before taking her life. Investigations by The Australian questioned the existence of Thalluri's friend, as well as other statements he has made about events in his own life which led to the film's creation.[10] His cousin Ann has publicly defended his story[11] and Thalluri himself called the claims "offensive", "rude" and "ridiculous".
Box office
2:37 grossed $447,290 at the box office in Australia.[12]
Festivals
- 2006 – France – Cannes Film Festival
- 2006 – Canada – Toronto International Film Festival
- 2006 – Australia – Melbourne International Film Festival (Opening Night Selection)
- 2006 – Japan – Tokyo International Film Festival
- 2006 – United States – AFI Film Festival (American Film Institute Festival)
- 2006 – India – Osians International Film Festival
- 2006 – Greece – Thessaloniki International Film Festival
- 2007 – Turkey – International Istanbul Film Festival
- 2007 – United States – Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Awards
Nominated:
- 2006 Cannes Film Festival: Un Certain Regard (Murali K. Thalluri).[13]
- 2006 Australian Film Institute Awards: Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Teresa Palmer), AFI Young Actor Award (Frank Sweet).
See also
References
- ^ Andrew L Urban, "THALLURI, MURALI K. – 2:37", Urban Cinefilem 17 August 2006 Archived 2 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine accessed 4 December 2012
- ^ Choose life Sydney Morning Herald. 11 August 2006.
- ^ Graphic movie suicide "a risk" The Age. 26 July 2006.
- ^ Chang, Justin (26 May 2006). "2:37". Variety.
- ^ Thalluri's 2:37 'too much like Elephant' Archived 9 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Ninemsn. 28 May 2006.
- ^ 2:37 Archived 5 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine Urban Cinefile.
- ^ R rating shackles, not protects, teenagers The Age. 29 July 2006.
- ^ On and up for philanthropic director Archived 9 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Ninemsn. 31 July 2006.
- ^ A violent change of direction The Sydney Morning Herald. 26–27 August 2006.
- ^ Director's suicide claim 'fiction' Archived 22 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine The Australian. 19 August 2006.
- ^ A letter of support The Adelaide Advertiser. 24 August 2006.
- ^ "Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: 2:37". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
External links
- 2:37 at AllMovie
- 2:37 at IMDb
- 2:37 at Rotten Tomatoes
- 2:37 at the National Film and Sound Archive
- A comparison of 2:37 and Elephant on YouTube