The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Gillian Armstrong

Writer:

Helen Garner (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Vicki returns to her elder sister Beth's house in Australia after an affair in Italy. Beth, with a teenage daughter...

Plot Keywords:

Outback | Marriage | Frenchman | On The Dole | Cow

Awards:

1 win & 12 nominations

Cast

Lisa Harrow	...	Beth
Bruno Ganz	...	J.P.
Kerry Fox	...	Vicki
Miranda Otto	...	Annie
Kiri Paramore	...	Tim
Bill Hunter	...	Beth's Father
Lex Marinos	...	Angelo
Mickey Camilleri	...	Sally
Lynne Murphy	...	Beth's Mother
Claire Haywood	...	Janet
Leanne Bundy	...	Susie
Wilson Alcorn	...	Cafe Dero
Tom Weaver	...	Thief
Bill Brady	...	Mayor
Eva Di Cesare	...	Waitress

Runtime:

93 min | USA:96 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Quotes:

Vicki: Don't tell J.P.
Beth: Why would I do that?
Vicki: Don't married people tell each other everything?

Movie Connections:

References Manhattan (1979)

Forget "smart","edgey",or "strong women"(?), try plain old GOOD!

I liked My Brilliant Career back in 1980, but after seeing this effort from the brilliant turned masterful Ms Armstrong I suspect that its traditional feminist message ("I won't give up my dreams for a man") made it more palatable for the times. Chez Nous doesn't let you off the hook so easily. What I found so compelling is its gentle but firm refusal to adopt a condescending attitude towards the characters or the audience. I rented this film with Jane Campion's Sweetie, which I found audaciously weird but riveting, in fact I now own Sweetie. Like Chez Nous, it deals with heroines and their family relationships, particularly involving sisters and to some degree, fathers. Both films are from the same part of the world. I was happy to find a used copy of Sweetie a few months after seeing it, but I watched Chez Nous twice before returning it, and that's the highest recommendation I can give.