source: Opal Dream

Moviecut—Opal Dream

Opal Dream

A hauntingly beautiful Australian film about the power of belief, and of the love between siblings. Rex Williamson (Vince Colosimo) is an opal miner prospecting in the outback town of Cooper Pedy. When his daughter Kellyanne's (Sapphire Boyce) imaginary friends go missing after a visit to the family's mine claim, he searches for them, and gets accused of attempted theft from a neighbouring claim in the process. Faced with his father being charged with attempting to steal from someone else's claim, and the family being shunned by the community as a result, as well as his young sister becoming ill through grief for her imaginary friends, Rex's son Ashmol (Christian Byers) sets out to put things right. This review really doesn't do justice to this heart warming and unusual tale. This is an Australian co-production with the BBC, so watch out for some familiar faces in atypical roles.

Why do I love this movie so much? I don't really know...I guess from a critics perspective it's not perfect, but for me it's one of those films I fall back on when I really couldn't be bothered with anything else and I need something to cheer up my day. It also manages to capture the rural side of Australia so well. You really feel the warm summer nights in Australia whilst watching this. Young lead Christian Byers was such a likeable kid as well. Where have all these smaller Aussie gems disappeared to? It seems no ones making them here anymore.

I saw this movie at the 2006 International Film Festival of Rotterdam. Heartwarming family movie about imaginary friends. The 9 year old daughter of a family in an opal mining town enjoys company of two imaginary friends. She becomes ill after something happens to them. The father is suspected of theft, making his household outcasts in the rough Australian mining community. The older brother has always felt embarrassed of his sister's behavior, but decides to help her anyway. Movie manages to make the audience both laugh and care about its subject "imaginary friends". Very entertaining, Excellent performances from the child actors. Recommended. 9/10 Credits Trivia: The story is based on the book "Pobby and Dingan" (2000) by UK-based author Ben Rice. Pobby and Dingan are the names of the imaginary friends. I just happened to run into this little 100 page book a week after seeing the movie.