Death in Brunswick **** (1990, Sam Neill, Zoe Carides, John Clarke) – Classic Movie Review 11,526)

Director John Ruane’s 1990 Australian comedy Death in Brunswick stars Sam Neill as Carl, a hapless cook in a sleazy Melbourne rock’n’roll nightclub, who gets mixed up in love when he meets beautiful Greek-Australian barmaid Sophie (Zoe Carides), revenge and accidental death when he accidentally kills a fellow worker. He turns to his unscrupulous grave digger best friend Dave (John Clarke) for damage control and they try to dispose of the body.

Co-writer-director Ruane’s promising early feature is a success – its offbeat black humour is genuinely funny and its weird story grips. Neill does a great turn in surprise casting as the ageing, loveable loser, and Aussie political satirist John Clarke gets his laughs too, especially in the scene where they are burying the wrong corpse.

The screenplay by John Ruane and Boyd Oxlade is based on the 1987 novel by Boyd Oxlade.

Also cast are Zoe Carides, Yvonne Lawley, Nicholas Papademetriou, Deborah Kennedy, Doris Younane, Nico Lathouris and Nicholas Papademe-Triou.

It is set and filmed in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick.

It premiered at the London Film Festival on 8 November 1990.

The award-winning score was composed and produced by New Zealand-born musician Philip Judd.

The cast include Sam Neill as Carl Fitzgerald, Zoe Carides as Sophie Papafagos, John Clarke as Dave, Yvonne Lawley as Mrs Fitzgerald, Nicholas Papademetriou as Yanni Voulgaris, Deborah Kennedy as June and Doris Younane as Carmel.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,526

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