Australia (1982): Drama/Romance
Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) is a hungry young journalist from Australia who's just taken an assignment as foreign correspondent in politically unstable Indonesia to break out of a long stint in the newsroom at home. Upon arrival he is immediately befriended by the wonderfully intriguing Billy (Linda Hunt), a photographer who compiles files on his friends, finding solace from the chaos of political and economic upheaval by manipulating what he can in his life. Billy, who likes Guy for the inexplicable reasons that draw people to one another, helps him to get the break that he desperately longs for. The break makes him as a journalist, and the wave of confidence that it generates carries him into the seduction of Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), an English diplomat who's leaving the country too soon to justify an affair. She succumbs, however, luckily for us, for the scenes of their passionate trysts are intense and exciting in a fresh young way. As the political situation begins to unravel, however, Guy is forced to yield his journalistic idealism to a forced acknowledgment of reality. An intriguingly complex and moving film from Peter Weir. (MGM) (James McGrath, Amazon.com)
1 nomination, 1 Award
· Supporting Actress 1983: Linda Hunt
