The Turning is a 2013 Australian anthology drama film based on a 2004 collection of short stories by Tim Winton. Produced by Robert Connolly and Maggie Miles, the film starred Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Hugo Weaving, and Miranda Otto. It premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 3 August 2013. It received a nomination for the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Feature Film, as well as many nominations for AACTA Awards, including a win for Byrne.
Synopsis The film consists of 17 stories, which are linked and overlap each other. The same characters appear in several of them, telling of turning points in their lives and changes in their relationships.
Cast Cate Blanchett as Gail Lang ("Reunion") Libby Tanner as Gail Lang ("Damaged Goods") Hugo Weaving as Bob Lang Miranda Otto as Sherry Rose Byrne as Rae Mirrah Foulkes as Fay Keenan Harrison Gilbertson as Victor Callan Mulvey as David Wilson Myles Pollard as Dan Susie Porter as Carol Matt Nable as Max Meyne Wyatt as Frank Leaper Daniel Wyllie as Vic Lang
Production The film was directed by 18 directors, including Mia Wasikowska, David Wenham, and Stephen Page, who made their directorial debuts, as well as Justin Kurzel and Warwick Thornton. Other directors were: Jonathan auf der Heide, Tony Ayres, Jub Clerc, Shaun Gladwell, Rhys Graham, Yaron Lifschitz, Anthony Lucas, Claire McCarthy, Ian Meadows, Ashlee Page, Simon Stone, Marieka Walsh, and David Wenham.
Initially, Cate Blanchett also intended to direct before switching to an acting role, with Simon Stone taking her place behind the camera. Many of the directors were also involved in screenwriting, along with additional writers Andrew Upton, Marcel Dorney, Justin Monjo, Emily Ballou, Circa Contemporary Circus, and Kris Mrksa. Mrksa wrote the chapter "Damaged Goods".
Release The Turning premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 3 August 2013. It was screened in the Berlinale Special Galas section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2014.
The film was heavily cut down and rearranged for broadcast on ABC1, debuting on 23 February 2014. Running for approximately 90 minutes (as opposed to the 180-minute theatrical cut), only eight of the original 17 stories were included: "Reunion", "Aquifer", "On Her Knees", "The Turning", "Long, Clear View", "Commission", "Cockleshell", and "Sand". The remaining nine stories were made available online as multi-platform ABC iView content.
Reception
English critic Peter Bradshaw reviewed the cut down version, which was released in the UK in 2015. He only awarded the film 2 stars out of 5 in 2015, finding that collection did not quite "come together". He praised the final three stories in that version: "Long, Clear View" by Mia Wasikowska; "Boner McPharlin’s Moll" by Justin Kurzel; and "Big World" by Warwick Thornton.
Accolades Award Category Recipient ResultAACTA AwardsBest FilmRobert ConnollyMaggie MilesThe Turning EnsembleBest DirectionBest Adapted ScreenplayBest ActorHugo WeavingBest ActressRose ByrneBest Supporting ActressMirrah FoulkesBest EditingThe Turning EnsembleAsia Pacific Screen AwardsBest FilmRobert Connolly, Maggie Miles
References
External links
"The Turning (2013)": Where to watch streaming and online in Australia (Flicks) "Tim Winton's The Turning" on The Astor Theatre Blog; includes list of each chapter name, director, and writer