(2008) In the days leading up to Christmas, a young woman, Lavinia (Maia Thomas), wearing headphones and absorbed with a large photograph of herself she's carrying, enters a carriage of the Melbourne subway; when the woman in the seat in front of her topples over, she suddenly realizes that seven people have been murdered. At the same time police constable Graham McGahan (Brendan Cowell) collapses on an escalator; at the hospital he's diagnosed with tinnitus, a chronic condition he's had for 18 months with ringing in the ears, dizzy spells, and blackouts.

Employing an eerie, haunting soundtrack, director/writer Matthew Saville's murder mystery weaves a disjointed, disorienting narrative toward a choral conclusion. Distrustful of the authorities (initially treated by police as the killer), Lavinia, a diabetic, withholds information about what happened on the train from the inspector; the young man who was in the carriage with her, who pointed a gun at her head before leaving her but taking her framed photograph, finds her after she views a lineup of suspects.

Another corpse of a woman is found near a roadway. Are the two incidents related? In an effort to attract witnesses, Sgt Mobley assigns Graham to a police caravan near the crime scene. Various individuals drop in, including Lucky Phil, a mentally handicapped fellow with his dog and photographs; foul-mouthed Craig, offering what he thinks may be clues; and the fiancée of the last victim, feeling guilty about having a disagreement with her before she died.

To the last person Graham explains his theory (based on medical research) of eternity that when the body dies, the brain remains functioning for about ten seconds, during which time "heaven or hell is whatever you're thinking then."

While Graham's absent from the caravan, someone places Lavinia's framed photograph, spray painted with "DEAD MEAT," in front of the entrance. On Christmas night, Graham apparently has an opportunity of testing his theory as the searchlight of a police helicopter shines down on him like the Star of Bethlehem.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2009 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Patrick Ivers can be reached via e-mail at .