April 30 2026
Wolfram
The Mastermind (streaming on MUBI)
The Aussie film industry is alive and well, with Warwick Thornton directing his latest. And streaming service MUBI continues to deliver fine arthouse fims.
Wolfram
Dir: Warwick Thornton
Length: 100 mins
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| © Bunya - impressive Aussie outback "Western" that reinforces our sad racist history |
It's the 1930s an outback town called Henry. Two little Aboriginal children Max (Hazel Jackson) and Kid (Eli Hart) have been stolen from their mother and are forced by a white master (Matt Nagel) to work in the tungsten mines. (Note: tungsten used to be called wolfram.) When their boss dies, they are left abandoned. The mother of the two children, Pansy, (Deborah Mailman) now lives far away with her Chinese partner Zhang (Jason Chong). Two evil outlaws Casey (Erroll Shand) and Frank (Joe Bird) ride into town. They look like trouble incarnate. Max and kid become separated, one being stolen by the outlaws, who visit their cousin Kennedy (Thomas Wright), father to an Aboriginal son, Philomac (Pedrea Jackson), who is treated like a servant. Enough of plot reveal! As you can see, there are a host of characters in this story, and gradually all their story lines become intertwined. While presenting like a real outback "western", this is the story of so much more: the cruelty inflicted upon our indigenous people by whites, and the search to reunite with family. Thornton, who grew up in Alice Springs, knows how to wield a camera and capture the stark beauty and colours of his homeland, making the film a visual treat. The plot is also inextricably linked to his own heritage, as his forbears worked in the tungsten mines. Wolfram also addresses the issues of racism as experienced by early Chinese immigrants, and the linking of the Chinese and Aboriginal themes works really well. Jackson is a young actor to watch - he has serious charisma as Philomac. This is yet another important film that tells the shameful history of the colonisation of our country.
4 - highly recommended
The Mastermind
Dir: Kelly Reichardt
Length: 110 mins
Streaming on MUBI
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| © MUBI - failed architect, failed criminal! |
James Mooney (Josh O'Connor) is a failed architect, now unemployed carpenter. He decides to stage a heist at his local museum, targetting four paintings. But everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Reichardt is definitely an indie director, with films that are slow-moving and often subvert one's expectations. So if we are expecting a traditional glamorous art-heist film, this one is anything but. As things go from bad to worse for our main character, we cannot help but feel he deserves what he gets. His planning is pathetic, he teams up with dropkick dishonest accomplices, and he barefacedly lies to his mother (Hope Davis), to extract money from her. His wife Terri (Alana Haim) is definitely wise to his tricks by the film's conclusion. Set against the backdrop of protest against the Vietnam War, and with a memorably cool jazz soundtrack throughout, this understated film is one for the patient viewer who may well delight in seeing a very foolish person get his come-uppance.
3.5 - well recommended
MUBI positions itself as presenting films for the discerning viewer. Often curated as collections, by director, or genre, there are plenty of alternatives here to mainstream streaming channels.
Link to alphabetical index of reviews August 2015-Dec 2025
Here's the index of all the films I've reviewed on this site over the past ten years. This year's index will come separately at the end of 2026, as it is all becoming somewhat unwieldy size-wise!
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