Director of Photography: Maxx Corkindale.
Fuelled by jealousy, a group of larrikins kidnap footy hero Christian (Leo Santangelo) to gain the attention of Christian’s girlfriend Jess (Sarah Jeavons). Their prank soon swerves out of control, trapping the youths in a recurring nightmare in the South Australian bush.
Cinematographer Maxx Corkindale was integral in realising the project. Not just in terms of his expertise, but also the fact that he shot the film for no fee and brought all volunteer camera, grips and lighting crew to Smashed. Corkindale has received numerous awards from the Australian Cinematographers Society and received the AACTA Award for ‘Best Cinematography in a Documentary’ for Sons and Mothers in 2015.
Smashed was born from Sean Lahiff’s (Director) ‘testosterone filled youth’ of larrikins, cars, petrol heads and parties while growing up in South Australia. There are times that the film, at just under thirteen minutes, feels like it’s a teaser trailer for a feature-length film with a story that practically begs to be drawn out and characters who manage to create intrigue even without the usual comfort of spoken dialogue. There’s a meditative quality about Corkindale’s cinematography, both in terms of its look and feel, and even amidst the action there’s a perfect frenetic energy that seems to accompany the entire film.
Smashed had its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and has two screenings at the Sydney Film Festival this month, its Australian premiere.
Reviewed at the 2017 Sydney Film Festival (SFF).
By Vanessa Abbott.