As world communities are continually brought closer through various technological advancements, people from every corner of the globe are forced to adapt and find their own place in our ever-changing and increasingly violent world. Bearing the brunt of this cultural collusion is the worth of the individual, or lack thereof. Touching on this theme in only his second feature film, award winning director Ray Lawrence (“Lantana”) asks specifically what a life is not worth in “Jindabyne.”

Set in the small Australian town with the eponymous name, Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, Stigmata) gives a guarded performance as Stewart Kane, an auto mechanic and avid outdoorsman who struggles to summon the desire and willpower to be the patriarch of his fragile family. While on an annual fishing weekend with a group of friends, Kane stumbles upon the murdered body of a young Aboriginal woman floating in a remote mountain river. Rather than immediately reporting the find to authorities, Kane and his comrades agree to tether the body to a tree and continue on with their fishing expedition as planned; only notifying the police at the conclusion of the weekend.

Though the film’s pace is deliberate and methodical throughout, director Lawrence effortlessly brings forth a set of characters who posses appreciable doses of earnestness, affection, and independence. Striking for their sincerity, our protagonists endure the scorn of their community and must answer to the relatives of the slain girl, as well as to their own families. Indeed, Kane’s wife Claire, played magnificently by Laura Linney (Mystic River, The Truman Show), channels her own insecurities acting as a welcomed voice of reason and compassion in an otherwise intelligent but melancholy picture that poses several difficult questions at the intrapersonal level.

Perhaps the strongest lessons manifested in this film are ones only hinted at through allegory. The group’s refusal to postpone their beloved fishing trip when finding a murdered girl is akin to the complacent, anesthetized demeanor many have toward larger global tragedies such as civil war in the Middle East, genocide in Africa, or international terrorism. Additionally, Kane’s reluctance to admit wrongdoing and his subsequent feelings of victimization at the hands of the media sounds all too familiar from those who must answer for their actions.

To be sure, Lawrence subtly reminds the audience why life is cherished by including several scenes of Kane and Claire’s young son, Tom. Whether it is a touching scene in which Claire affectionately clutches Tom when taking him into a lake for the very first time, or the child’s jubilation at catching his first fish, we are reminded that it is the little things that make life special. Furthermore, acknowledging that the murdered girl (or fallen soldiers, or those killed in foreign/domestic terrorism) will never again experience those little things is all the more reason for people to ensure that their own personal fishing trips do not overshadow the larger issues that affect us all in one way or another.

For similar themes, you might enjoy “The Deer Hunter” (1978), “Badlands” (1973), and “Million Dollar Baby” (2005).

Article by Chris Virnig