Romulus, My Father (2007)

Admirable film.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

This is one of these movies that only come once in a great great while and leave your soul with the burden of a lifetime experience. It will charge you up and it will brake you to pieces...No words to describe... Can't find a way to define...Why so strongly do we want to live when the meaning of life is so overpoweringly indefinite, vague, woolly, unclear, unspecific and unfixed!?... BECAUSE IT'S OVERPOWERING!!!I beg you please, do yourself the favor of seeing this Leviathanic Achievement in the Art of Cinematography!!! Your heart will melt completely when at the end the film reveals you that this is the biographical memoir of the philosopher and writer Raimond Gaita! Please, believe me now, when I say that I am completely overwhelmed by the emotions the movie left me with and this is the reason to be writing this review/message. I am an independent individual not involved with or paid by any movie production or company related to the the film .Thank you

"Romulus, my father" is not the history of a problematic family but it could be considered as a documentary of how difficult was the fight against the depression, and the consequent effects, in a period without cures. A little family of immigrants has to clear big hurdles in order to guarantee the right education for their young son. But it does not exist a right education and, probably, it does not exist a right love. We are always alone in front of big obstacles. The slow narration well represents the darkness lived by the characters. Only in the end there is a new light for new dreams: after years of cupidity, after weepings and crisis, after funerals and weddings, father and son can hope again, still together.

I just saw this and though a lot of people complained of this movie being slow I adored it. One of our best Australian movies to date. It has a moving story, terrific and very realistic actors but the only problem was the pace. Everything was brilliant but it just avoided perfect with its pace which is a bit of a let down for a movie that everyone knows could have been and kind of is everything. Eric Bana is brilliant and the wife Franka Potente was so good I really understood her character. The movie was a bit predictable at times but it had a sweet ending, interesting character and superb character development. A must see for people probably over thirteen. (Some of the themes are very strong.)

I could not speak more highly of this film. It is flawlessly realised and I plead with anyone serious about film-making as a sincere form of high art to support this film. I have never experienced anything that is richer with real emotional substance and that conveys a convergence of humanity with more dignity.Furthermore, I have never seen an ensemble of actors grasp the very essence of a story so powerfully and accurately. Each performer, even the youngest, is acutely aware of the history of their character and the significance of each and every moment that is being so beautifully captured.For me, dissecting this movie in any way would be like sitting outside in the rain during a sunshower and trying to explain what was right or wrong with the situation. 'Romulus, My Father' confirms, without question, that Australian Filmaking has come of age.