Concrete Playground

I find it hard to sleep the night before a big trip. Knowing that I have to wake up at 5am never helps the sheep-counting, but even so, I'm full of too much excitement to relax. Imagine then, the state I'd be in were tomorrow's trip the beginning of a six month stint in a warzone.

Matthew Newton writes, directs and acts his way through such a dilemma, introducing us to three naval officers who want to spend their final night in Sydney as lasciviously as possible. Newton's definitely pulled in a strong supporting cast for his second feature, with appearances from Barry Otto, Jacki Weaver, Bud Tingwell and Pia Miranda, and has chosen well with Toby Schmitz, Ewan Leslie and Gracie Otto as his fellow headliners.

This is a compelling film dotted with clever punches, though at times Newton's need to conjure an "average Australian male" clunks off the reel. Similarly, Hugh Miller's constant use of unsteady cinemtatography goes beyond a sense of realism and into the dimension of seasickness; effective for making me feel like a queasy ensign, but definitely overstaying its welcome.

Three Blind Mice has a limited release at the Chauvel Cinema, Paddington, running every Friday night for the general public from September 11.