NITRAM MOVIE REVIEW

The Port Arthur shooting spree of April 1996 was a mass murder in Tasmania, Australia where 35 people were killed and 23 others were wounded. It is one of the worst killing sprees in history. Nitram is a biographical psychological drama that follows the life and times of the monster responsible for this tragedy. Directed by Justin Kurzel (Macbeth), this is the third biopic in his career, following The True History of the Kelly Gang and Snowtown. Kurzel clearly has an interest in violent predators and murder spees. This film revolves around the behaviors of a disturbed young man called “Nitram”, who lives with his mother and father, both of whom have been beaten down and diminished by raising their son in suburban Australia in the Mid-1990s. Nitram is an antagonistic young man who is very much out of control. He lives a life of isolation and frustration at never being able to fit in, until he unexpectedly finds a friend in a reclusive heiress, Helen. However, his loneliness and anger grows, and he begins a slow descent into madness, culminating in the events of his involvement in the mass shooting. Melina, Sarah Jane, Jena, and T.C. find a way to discuss and even praise this film, despite the horrible subject matter.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Justin Kurzel

STARRING: Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Essie Davis, Anthony LaPaglia, Sean Keenan, Rick James

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

T.C. De Witt (Screener Squad)

T.C. De Witt is a multi-awarded writer/director originally from Wisconsin and now based in Los Angeles. His life has been devoted to the arts since he was a child. He’s been a stage performer, playwright, stand-up comic, film and television actor, radio DJ, podcaster published author, recorded musician, and comic writer/illustrator. He is now a professional screenwriter and has been thriving for the past decade, regularly offering his talents to production studios in LA, Chicago, Milwaukee, and internationally in Sydney and Poland. He’s provided content for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and several YouTube partners. His films have screened internationally, and his stageplays have been performed across the country. In the last ten years, he has directed 57 films, 23 episodes of his series The One Minute Rewatch, 300+ episodes of podcasts, and his multi-award-winning short film Screen: Righter screened at the Festival de Cannes in 2016. He has released two feature films, The Princess Knight and A Christmas Sunset. He thrives on collaboration and the thrill of sharing stories in all forms.

 

 

Melina Eames (Screener Squad)

Melina first discovered that she carried the nerd gene at the tender age of four following her exposure to a little film called A New Hope. In the twenty-some years that followed, Melina continued to grow into her geek identity through the discovery of Batman, Mst3k, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and The Mandalorian. But perhaps her most significant discovery came at the age of fourteen when a night of YouTube mining led her to the review site of Spill.com. Melina became a devoted follower whose fandom did not end with the site’s demise. By then, it had worked its dark magic and left her with a love and appreciation for film criticism that she has yet to shrug.

 

 

Sarah Jane (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Sarah Jane was born and raised in Southern California but currently calls Austin, TX her home. She’s seen over 5,700 movies so far with zero plans on stopping. She has a penchant for all things exploitation, and she loves Godzilla with all her heart. Her favorite films are Deep Red, Le Samourai, and Miller’s Crossing.