Published 14 April 2009 · Main Posts Beautiful – the film Rjurik Davidson If you’re interested, you can catch my review of the Australian film Beautiful in the latest Metro Magazine (Issue 160). Beautiful is a psychological thriller set in a Lynchian mode. Each time I write a review, I’m constantly reminding myself that I shouldn’t write anything that I wouldn’t say to the person’s face. That’s my number one rule. In the case of Beautiful, that wasn’t too hard because there is are some things to like about the movie. Still, there are some things to dislike (the cliched seventeen-year-old femme fatale for starters). All in all, it’s uneven and unlikely to set the world alight. As a whole, it can’t quite unify its many elements. It’s surrealism is dreamy rather than eerie, which undermines the tension of the thriller. David Lynch is harder to emulate than it appears. Still, it’s nice to see an Australian independent film which tries something different – a semi-surreal mode beyond the usual gritty suburban family dramas. Rjurik Davidson Rjurik Davidson is a writer, editor and speaker. Rjurik’s novel, The Stars Askew was released in 2016. Rjurik is a former associate editor of Overland magazine. He can be found at rjurik.com and tweets as @rjurikdavidson. More by Rjurik Davidson › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 10 November 202311 November 2023 · Subscriberthon 2023 On the final day of Subscriberthon, Overland’s most important members get to have their say Editorial Team BORIS A quick guide to another year of Overland, from your trusty feline, Boris. I liked the ginger cat story, though it made my human cry. I liked the talking cat, too, but I’m definitely in the “not wasting my time learning to talk” camp. But reading is good. And writing is fun, though it’s been challenging […] 1 First published in Overland Issue 228 9 November 20239 November 2023 · Subscriberthon 2023 On the second-last day of Subscriberthon, Overland’s co-chief editor Evelyn Araluen speaks truth to power Editorial Team To my friends and comrades, I’m not sure if there’s language to communicate how this last month has utterly changed me. This time a few weeks ago the busyness and chaos of bricolage arts and academic labour had so efficiently distracted me from my anxiety about the upcoming referendum that I forgot to prepare myself for its inevitable conclusion.
