Tomboys (2009)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Boring

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

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

TOMBOYS is a dreadful indie horror flick from Australia. It's posited as a grindhouse throwback wannabe torture porn movie but it's nothing like that at all. All you get is a single dark location with five female cast members whose faces are shot in close-up. They converse for the entire running time in dialogue which is as dull as it is extraneous. It's obviously going for some psychological head-spin approach but the result is a film that'll bore you to tears.

I do think this movie is funny in some respects. The goth girl tries to calm the girl down who is brandishing a knife. In any other horror movie like this the goth girl would be egging her on or she would be the one with the knife herself, but this is an Australian movie, so maybe that cliché is upside down.I have no idea how this cost one million dollars to make, the lighting is very poor indeed and the colour is almost-but-not-quite monotone particularly at the beginning. I don't think this is by accident or by the use of poor equipment but rather to create an appropriate atmosphere.By the 14th minute of the movie one of the girls, who are torturing a serial rapist, cut his manhood off (naturally), and you think how could this possibly get worse for him? But then, in a nice plot twist we find out they have castrated the wrong guy! Or have the really? One of the girls tries to explain that he also sexually assaulted her, a story which is dismissed by most of the other girls thinking she is just trying to protect the ring leader, Kat.The only thing that really let this down was the boring scenes with the girls arguing among themselves, and I did question why they brought that girl Imogine along. Surely they would know if she was a bit of a wimp and might rat them out? This rape revenge movie is unlike any other than it ends up in a tense police stand off, where the character 'Kat' hangs herself! It is truly a wonderful, imaginative and creative movie. It is only 72 minutes long and gets straight to the good stuff without some boring 'let's get to know the characters and their background' intro.

Tomboys" - or perhaps "She Devils" would be a better title, is ultra-low budget, basically a play and could be adapted as such. It begins with two young women dragging a man into a garage; he has a bag over his head, and has clearly been rendered senseless. He is strung up, and the rest of the group arrive. A serial rapist is about to get his just deserts, big time, like one of them hacks off his penis, and he bleeds to death. Then another of them receives a phone call, somebody is looking for her. Who might that be? Yes, you guessed right - rule one, before you kidnap a serial rapist and murder him, in fact before you put the bag over his head, make sure you've got the right guy. Better still, if you are the victim of a crime of violence, report it to the police at once. That sound advice excepted, the group are now faced with a fait accompli; obviously they are not going to turn themselves in. What then? Is this film feminist propaganda, a revenge fantasy, or proof that under the wrong circumstances women can become just as depraved as men? As it was apparently conceived by a man, the patriarchy will get the blame whatever. Those of a squeamish nature should give this a miss, men especially. Along with anyone else who can think of a less unsavoury way to waste 79 minutes.

I found 'Tomboys' to be a great little Aussie movie. In the tradition of 'I Spit On Your Grave' and films of the rape revenge genre, this grind-house film is a claustrophobic one room drama. A good first feature attempt. It proves that Australian filmmakers can actually do genre films but also cater to an International audience. The lead actress Candice Day gives a chilling performance of a woman tested to the absolute limit. Naomi Davis as her side kick is a good casting choice who also put in a great, sometimes hilarious, effort. Great seeing Jenny Lovell pop up, she's an old school Australian talent. Be interesting to see what else Alliance and/or Hill come up with next?