mmunier I should not really have come here to talk about it, as I did not give it my full attention which very unlike me. I don't agree with J Cocteau that movie have to get rid of big budget etc. to be art, but who am I beside being entitled to my opinion! Art it is and Romulus My Father strives in this achievement. Why I did not give it my whole attention, I don't know exactly. Was it Eric Bana background in Aussie TV, was it "another Australian movie? No because I actually taped it and was looking forward to see it. Was it the slow pace of the start, perhaps. I think really I was not in the right mood for it and agree that is a difficult story almost joyless. I was surprised to see no comment incorporating some comparison with "Last Ride" (Hugo Weaving)even though I founds some comments from authors who had enter comment under both films. I saw "Last Ride" at the cinema and Romulus... at home but on a fairly large screen. I will have another go at it... perhaps with some fine wine to get the journey smoother!

collins09 "Romulus, my father" is not the history of a problematic family but it could be considered as a documentary of how difficult was the fight against the depression, and the consequent effects, in a period without cures. A little family of immigrants has to clear big hurdles in order to guarantee the right education for their young son. But it does not exist a right education and, probably, it does not exist a right love. We are always alone in front of big obstacles. The slow narration well represents the darkness lived by the characters. Only in the end there is a new light for new dreams: after years of cupidity, after weepings and crisis, after funerals and weddings, father and son can hope again, still together.

tainted_perfection I managed to catch this movie at the Singapore International Film Festival.It was only one of the few movies that I was interested in catching because the story intrigued me.Not to mention that it had a great cast too. So Romulus My Father is story centered around young Raimond and his relationships with his dad Romulus and his mother Christina.Both Romulus and Christina are migrants settling in Australia and we see the emotional toll that happens between the three of them and also with Hora and Mitru both playing a big part in the lives of those three.From the moment Romulous stars you have this strong feeling that your in for a great movie.And trust me,during those hundred and four minutes you will see a great story of courage,love and betrayal.It is a very emotional story and brilliantly made.You just know that everyone involved in this movie put their heart and soul into it and their efforts have certainly paid off.Romulous My Father is a story that everyone can identify with.The characters in this movie and their actions leave you thinking even long after the movie has ended.Performances naturally are one of the highpoints for this film.Nothing new for Bana and Potente here.Both of them are great which is nothing surprising here since both are very talented actors.Suppoting cast is great too,Martion Csokas and Russel Dykstra are moth magnificent.But the real show-stealer here is the young but talented Kodi Smit McPhee who plays the young Raimond.His role is not an easy role to portray yet he does it with such confidence. You feel for him,for everything he has to go through with his parents and every scene he's in is just brilliant.Move over Dakota Fanning,this kid is here to stay! Romulus my father is one solid drama, with a captivating story that everyone can relate to. Not to mention is vibrant cinematography and top-notch acting. Its one of the films where it deserves a bigger release and seen by a wider audience. One can only hope that happens.

jeffpen The book was a favorite in our house, and the locales were my childhood home area. While I thought Richard Roxburgh followed Raimond Gaita's book pretty faithfully; that the cinematography was splendid; and that there were fine acting performances by Kodi Smit-McPhee and Eric Bana, overall it came up short for me.The reason: the dialogue was simply too sparse. I could be corrected, but I can't recall any scene where more than two, perhaps three very short sentences were exchanged. Throughout, people hardly spoke - the result being that it relied too heavily on languorous, meaningful looks and pregnant silences. And I agree with a criticism voiced elsewhere on this film's site, that this is a hallmark of Australian films, an over-used indulgence.How I suffered that watching Rowan Woods's endless lingering facials of Cate Blanchett in 'Little Fish' last year. Its a great face and she's a great actress - but the treatment just drove me to distraction in that case.Boring! Returning to 'Romulus, My Father,' it's just a personal view, but I thought some selective voice-over narration by the boy Raimond would have assisted the film's sense of movement a great deal, filled some of the gaps, added depth, and assisted an uninitiated viewer's appreciation of the themes,personalities and relationships. At least it would have given some more human voice to a very human story.In summary, I felt it was not a bad film - that it came close to being very good. But it's flawed, and again in a way that so many Australian cinema releases are.