Wish You Were Here

Kieran Darcy-Smith's Wish You Were Here opens with a whirlwind tour of Cambodia. Four Australian tourists experience the local culture as they would an amusement park. Are they naive and entitled or just adventurous and free-spirited? Whatever the case, only three of them return home. Steph (Teresa Palmer) agonizes over the disappearance of her boyfriend Jeremy (Antony King). His absence hangs over Steph's sister Alice (Felicity Price) and her husband Dave (Joel Edgerton).

Alice must deal with this mystery as she teaches, cares for two children, and carries a third child inside. Price is generally excellent as the mostly contained Alice. She is the center of the film. King is likable if low-key as Jeremy, the mysterious businessman. Palmer's Steph is pretty but self-centered. Edgerton is painfully believable as the traumatized and increasingly erratic Dave. Tender moments with Dave and Alice's adorable and observant children as well as most character interactions are quite realistic.

Because of the story's non-chronological narrative, the plot feels a little thin. Too much depends on reveals, making many scenes more puzzling than intriguing. The audience sees characters react to events that are explained late in the film. This reduces the impact of the actors' work through much of the movie. The film also has several cliches about the "exotic third-world country." Dangerous natives, friendly children, and bright colors are all on display here. There is some subtle lampooning of these travelers, who are as dutifully somber visiting a memorial as they are gleeful when buying overpriced trinkets.

The camera attempts to convey a sense of realism while capturing a peaceful beauty that contrasts with the characters' internal lives. The soundtrack is lively and fitting, especially the haunting closing song "Bend With Me." Though Wish You Were here is a credible and sometimes harrowing psychological study, it leaves the viewer wanting something more.

Acolytes

The terrible film Acolytes could have been a disturbing, claustrophobic thriller. Its intriguing premise features three troubled teens, a threatening assailant, and a cleverer, more malevolent presence. While the opening sequence features the cliché “girl running through forest from pursuer,” its lovely color scheme, jolting edits, and surreal pacing suggest a more affective film than what follows. The audience then encounters three teenagers who skip school and smoke weed. It is unclear why Chasely (Hanna Mangan-Lawrence) prefers the mouthy James (Joshua Payne) to their friend Mark (Sebastian Gregory). Perhaps the confusion arises from the fact that these characters are poorly realized and dully acted. Chasely spends the film staring blankly into space as she listens to music (the movie has a strong indie soundtrack), screaming and crying when the occasion arises (she is a girl, after all), and looking sexy. James is obnoxious and callous, and Mark, our ostensible protagonist, might be the most uninteresting of the lot. They stumble upon a body and wonder if it is connected to Gary Parker (Michael Dorman), a young ex-con who attacked them when they were kids.

One minute characters freak out at some horrific development, the next they are inexplicably composed, speaking in their usual, expressionless voices. The highlight of the film, other than its beautiful, high-contrast cinematography, is Joel Edgerton’s calm serial killer Ian Wright. His physical appearance is entirely unimaginative (how many movies feature psychos who wear glasses, tuck in their shirts, and sport bland expressions?), but we see flashes of intelligence and habitual sadism. Because this murderer is more interesting than the three leads, any connection with or threat he poses to them drums up little suspense. The ostensibly intense conclusion contains a jarring shock that makes no sense. The film’s potential is ruined by a narrative that is beyond jumbled, tediously paced, and unconvincingly acted.