Having been a fan of director Ray Lawrence's "Bliss" and "Lantana", I had rather high expectations for his third feature film "Jindabyne." Add to the fact that it starred Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney, my expectations for greatness were elevated even higher. Fortunately I can say that I was not in any way disappointed. I honestly cannot understand how or why Lawrence has only directed three films in 21 years. "Jindabyne" easily ranks amongst the best films of 2006. "Jindabyne" is based on the short story "So Much Water close to Home" by author Raymond Carver. It deals with the aftermath of a fishing trip, whereupon three average men find the body of a dead girl floating in the river. Because of the time of day they find her, they opt to stay in the area and hike out to report it the next day. But instead, they end up staying on their fishing trip for several days and wait to report the girl's body until they are done. Their actions, almost more than the murder of the girl, set into motion events and emotions that tears at the fabric of the men's families and that of the whole town.

While the plot of the film sounds simple, it is anything but. The screenplay that fleshes out the short story creates a dynamo of emotions both repressed and acted upon in the film. Even the viewer, in this case me, has a hard time remaining detached. I personally cannot fathom doing what these men did. And I'm not just talking about going fishing. How could anyone come across a discovery like they did and not immediately find some way to report it? That is the question that plagues their wives and most of the townsfolk. And that in part is the film's greatest strength.

Lawrence is able deliver a film that ably makes both sides of the argument almost seem acceptable. From the men's point of view, the girl was already dead so there really wasn't anything they could do. So why not finish their trip? On paper, it sounds ludicrous. But coming from actors Bryne, John Howard, Stelios Yiakmis and Simon Stone, it sounds perfectly reasonable. It takes the opposite perspective of the wives to remind the viewer just how wrong it was.

"Jindabyne" was filmed in Australia and has already been nominated for 9 Australian Film Institute Awards, and it's easy to see why. The performances, which could have easily been over the top due to the subject matter, are delivered with subtlety across the board. Most of the emotions roil beneath the surface of the main players, only to erupt with just the right amount of power at just the right time. The cinematography is gorgeous, again despite the harshness of the subject.

Sony's DVD for "Jindabyne" includes a handful of deleted scenes, all of which add a little more dimension to the story. There is also a 'making of' featurette, which features a handful of interviews.

"Jindabyne" might not have made a splash here in the U.S., but it really should have.

Directed by: Ray Lawrence
Starring: Laura Linney, Gabriel Byrne, Deborra Lee Furness, John Howard
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Making of Featurette
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 10/2/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Disturbing Images, Language and Some Nudity)
Website

We'll give Jindabyne an A.