Tom White (2004) Reviews

• Deeply thoughtful, carefully paced...

  youngspirit2004-08-14

  I saw "Tom White" at its world premiere on Saturday July 31st, 2004; here in Melbourne. "Tom White" tells the story of an ordinary guy whose life goes off the rails. When things fall apart at work, something snaps, and Tom sets out, leaving his home and family behind. What follows is almost a series of vignettes detailing Tom's run-ins with other people on the 'fringes of society', people in a world hidden in his city that he never really knew about. I found this movie deeply thoughtful. Stepping away from the more lighthearted Australian comedy, this movie is a very thoughtful character study, looking into something for which most people have the capacity, but never really have the courage. Tom runs away from home, from his professional life in a desk job, and in doing so begins a new life, with a clean slate. He is no longer judged by his past, but by the person he is in that moment. I watched this movie (set here in Melbourne) and found myself looking at landmarks I know in a totally different way when I passed them the next time: a day, a week later. This kind of film doesn't let go straight away, it has you thinking for quite awhile afterward too. Recommended for audiences willing to take a chance with the relaxed pace and simply let the film wash over them. For me, the evaluation came at a later time: in the theatre I was swept away by the intriguing photography and the great performances by everyone, particularly Colin Friels (Tom White), Loene Carmen (Christine) and Jarryd Jinks (Jet). Dan Spielman and Bill Hunter gave stand-out performances also. Three and a half from Five Stars.

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• Thought-provoking but enjoyable

  johnfos2005-06-15

  This is a thought-provoking Australian film about the subject of untreated mental illness and the total isolation from family and friends which can follow. It shows how those who suffer from mental health problems may try to cope with the situation themselves rather than seek medical attention. It's a dark and brooding film, which explores the twists and turns of life on the street, and shows us how difficult such a life can be. The movie avoids sentimentality and leaves the viewer to ponder where untreated depression and related mental health issues may ultimately lead. Colin Freils provides a wonderful character study in his role as Tom. Unfortunately, though, some of the support acting is decidedly lacklustre. Nice camera work throughout. 'Tom White' contrasts strongly with several other well-known films dealing with mental illness: 'A Beautiful mind' was a glossy big-budget production with a positive message, and 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' focused on an institutional setting.

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• It's films like Tom White that make filmgoing seem a chore - yet there's something intriguing behind its heavy-handedness

  colettesplace2004-12-22

  In Tom White, the title character (played by Colin Friels) "drops out" of society after a work crisis and becomes homeless. He drifts through Melbourne meeting a rent boy (Dan Spielman), an ex-junkie (Loene Carmen), a tramp (Bill Hunter) and a young graffiti artist (Jarryd Jinks). Scripted by Australian playwright Daniel Keane, Tom White continues to explore the societal dissociation that Keane covers in his stage works. Like them, too, it suffers from heavy-handedness, resulting in impassioned performances from hollow characters. Additionally, Keane's interest in medieval miracle plays – where every character is symbolic – clashes with director Alkinos Tsilimidos and cinematographer Toby Oliver's naturalistic film-making. Tom White is harshly lit and like Praise (1998), confronts the ugliness in Australian society. At the same time we don't know what motivates these people, and the dialogue is unrealistic. It's an uneasy mix. Colin Friels turns in a strong performance, as does Rachel Blake as his wife. But many of the other characters are overly stagey. Tom White is at its most interesting towards the end, when Tom is interacting with the young graffiti artist, but is overall an interesting failure. **/***** stars.

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• A film about the Australia they don't show you on tourist shows

  burnthebeautiful2005-02-25

  As an Australian currently living in Sweden, I enjoy the rare chance of getting to watch something Australian. Even if the movie itself turns out to be awful, seeing Australian brand food in the meal eating scenes and hearing real Australian accents and slang words is a novelty. But more importantly, with movies like Tom White, having lived in Australia makes me appreciate the dark humour and sarcasm that a lot of people miss. A perfect example of this is the scene with Tom and a homeless man (The homeless man's name has slipped my mind). Homeless man: What's a man when he's dead? Tom: He's ****ing dead. These sort of comments delivered in a deadpan way are typical of Australian humour, and also of Australian straight forward, honest attitudes. Unfortunately a lot of viewers from 'overseas' won't realize these sorts of one liners and overly negative comments are meant to be funny. All this aside, Tom White is a great movie. It's essentially divided into parts. Each part of the movie focuses on the friendship between Tom and whoever he's currently living with. The friendships last about 20 minutes of screen time each, once the friendships end for various reasons, the film becomes about the next person Tom befriends. Because of this, watching Tom White is a bit like watching 4-5 different short films, with each friendship being its own film. All of the characters are interesting, including the minor characters, like the homeless aboriginal guy with a long grey beard and carrot top shaped hair. If you have any romantic fantasies about living in Australia, let me tell you that this movie is a fairly accurate portrayal of Australian life and Australian people. You don't spend all day at the beach, seeing kangaroos is a novelty that gets old fast. The Australia in Tom White is the real Australia. The characters in the movie is what real Australians are like. Australians are like the people in this movie, not Steve Irwin. Living in Australia is like they live in the beginning of the film, it's not spending all day surfing.

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• Risky business

  tomsview2014-01-05

  "Tom White" is an edgy movie that goes in directions you don't expect. Although it is an Australian film, what happens to Tom White could take place in any modern city. Tom, played by Colin Friels, is an architect with a wife and two children who has a typical suburban lifestyle - comfortable, but predictable. He feels trapped, and after problems at work, has a breakdown. He abandons family and job and enters another realm altogether, that of a homeless person, his life then becomes anything but comfortable and predictable. The director of "Tom White", Alkinos Tsilimidos, said in an interview, "I think without risk, life can be pretty boring, so I approach making my films with risk. If it was safe territory, I mean, how boring would it be to turn up to work and know you're in safe territory?" "Tom White" is not safe territory. Tom is a flawed character; that he retains our sympathy is a credit to Colin Friels' screen chemistry. The experiences Tom has on the streets are risky - physically and morally. He is mugged, and for a while, he shares a house, and eventually a bed with a young gay man, although he isn't gay. He moves onto an affair with a woman who works in a fairground played by Loene Carmen, the memorable star of "The Year My Voice Broke." She is trying to break from the drug scene but the affair ends brutally as do many of Tom's encounters on the streets. Tom is invited into the world of derelict buildings and Salvation Army refuges when he joins up with Malcolm, something of a street philosopher played by Bill Hunter. Finally, Tom encounters a boy from a dysfunctional home; a relationship that could easily be misunderstood. However, he protects the boy and begins to realise how much he has let down his own family. The scene where he meets his wife again is powerful, but unpredictable like everything else in the movie. Rachael Blake as Helen White communicates a lot with just a look; she is quite brilliant. In the end, although Tom has been affected by all the characters he met, we doubt that he has found the answers he sought because he hardly knew the questions to ask. The film has a similar theme to "Kiss the Sky" starring William Petersen. Although that movie has a different setting, the main character abandons family and job to seek something within himself that he can hardly explain. Both films end on an ambiguous note. "Tom White" received many awards and Colin Friels was justly praised for his role as Tom. Although some segments play better than others, it is a challenging and compelling movie.

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