The fact that Shaun Grant was involved just makes me feel even more confident that the film is a product of trying to skirt public outrage, because Snowtown is one of the most uncomfortably graphic and psychologically disturbing films in Aussie history. If he'd collaborated with a different writer I might understand why Nitram turned out how it did, but this seems like two typically gutsy guys playing it safe.
I thought it was particularly misleading how they did the car crash scene, with Bryant and Helen happily driving and he caused her to crash, which it seemed like she was completely unprepared for. In reality she had already crashed several cars because of his antics and had to drive no more than 35 mph wherever they went. By leaving this out it made the crash seem like the first disaster to ever happen as a result of harmless fun rather than the ongoing Russian roulette her life had become.
Fuck they didn't even include how Bryant slept with his favourite pig in his bedroom (Helen owned pigs and miniature horses) and it defecated and urinated all over his floor so often that his room stunk and the carpet had to be replaced multiple times. Like... this is all stuff that would paint such a different picture of the guy from the version they gave us.
Anyways the reason I consider Nitram anti-firearm propaganda isn't because the film portrays our pre-1996 gun laws as too lax, they were and there's no reason why someone like Bryant should have ever been able to acquire an AR-15, but rather because the only parts of the film that dip into didacticism are the parts about guns. For example there's nothing I've ever read about Helen being freaked out by the mere presence of a gun, that means they invented that part with a purpose. Also they show him owning a gigantic arsenal with random people coming over to buy and sell black market weapons. What the fuck is that?
Personally, instead of the gun message before the credits it should've been something about how he's now a bald old man who is approaching obesity because he does sexual favours for extra sweets in prison. He got off so easy in this film.
was hoping for more. Think the female leads perspective could have been more subtle and may had a larger impact on the conclusion...if anything.
