When an Australian film boasts Michael Caton and Jacki Weaver as lead characters, promises stunning glimpses of the beautiful outback landscape and a solid story line, you know it’s one not to be missed.
Last Cab to Darwin is a road movie that follows Rex Macrae (Michael Caton), a cab driver that only has months to live, as he drives from Broken Hill to Darwin to meet euthanasia advocate Dr Nicole Farmer (Jacki Weaver) in an attempt to die on his own terms. He leaves behind his mates and best friend/lover Polly (Ningali Lawford-Wolf), an Aboriginal lady with whom he keeps his relationship a secret due to long-standing racial tensions in the town and his inability to show his true feelings.
For Rex, who has never left Broken Hill in his life, the journey is a complete eye opener and probably the most exciting and exhilarating thing he’s ever done. The real joy in this film is the people he meets and the friendships he develops on the way. For the previously stubborn and distant Rex, allowing new people into his life is a first and the development of these new relationships renews his outlook on what he has left of it.
His first encounter on the journey is with Tilly (Mark Coles Smith), a young Aboriginal man from Oodnadatta who has gone off the rails, but is full of spunk and impossible not to like. Despite stealing his wallet and getting into a fight when they first meet at William Creek, Rex takes pity on Tilly and allows him to travel with him, forming an almost father-son type bond as he tries to put him back on the straight and narrow.
In Daly Waters they meet English backpacker Julie (Emma Hamilton), who quickly falls for Tilly’s charms and when she sees how sick Rex is, decides to put her nursing training into good use and join them on the road as his carer. By the time the trio arrive in Darwin, Rex’s view on life is dramatically altered.
Last Cab to Darwin is a film that deals with so many delicate themes, from life and death to love, sex and racism, yet every issue is played with the upmost consideration and care. The relationships between Rex and his new friends, and finally again with Polly, are beautifully acted and will warm the coldest of hearts. If that doesn’t get you, the stunning location shots of the Australian outback and insights into what many would call ‘real Australia’ are priceless.
Last Cab To Darwin is showing in cinemas from 6 August.
Helen Lear
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