What a wonderful, diverse world we live in; storytelling is an ancient art, and the platforms that are available to us today posit some of the most exciting and grand possibilities in the universe of narrative. Film, put bluntly, is my obvious favourite of these, and when a story is told with the most perfect of graphic and sonic accompaniment the results are nothing short of fireworks. Personal favourites of mine tend to adopt a understated or simplistic approach to narrative, but a great portion of my list does delve into the depths of storytelling. Other favourite narrative characteristics include: a consuming sense of ambiguity (and especially in the ending) [eg. The Lobster], lead characters who are loners or introverts and have been discarded or dismissed by the greater society at hand (eg. Taxi Driver, Dead Man), a holistic approach to universe and in turn narrative form (eg. The Tree of Life), anything remotely regarding the space opera likings of Star Wars, characters with underlying voyeuristic tendencies (eg. a large portion of Brian De Palma’s works) and especially naturalistic, verisimilitudinous French dramas (eg. Éric Rohmer’s body of work).

Upon my initial viewing, this week’s film, Mystery Road, left me wondering why the course coordinators specifically chose this film to represent the narrative week; but after further discussion in class I had come around to it, and Australian film as a whole. The notion of a sequel being released in a few months eased my dissatisfaction with the major plot points left blowing in the wind at the film’s conclusion (the final shootout’s authenticity and volatility definitely aided my enjoyment). But from what I saw, it’s the people that are the monsters, not the dogs.