A newly single father's efforts to weather the turbulence of change – in his life and in the world around him – while a new immigrant endeavours to find her place in a foreign land.
Synopsis
Introverted Leo is a metalworker at his small town's local plant. After his wife vanishes, leaving him to care for their two young children, he is bereft – barely able to cook a decent meal or keep the household running. So when a recently arrived Italian colleague suggests that his sister, Maria, act as surrogate homemaker, Leo reluctantly accepts. But can one woman's warm, nurturing presence fill the void left by another, and can Leo yield to the winds of change?
The film distils the many upheavals of 1970s Australia – from immigration and post-war resettlement, to anti–Vietnam War protests and the women's liberation movement – into a narrative about one man's struggle to adapt and a new immigrant endeavouring to find her place in a foreign land. Little Tornadoes is a portrait of a country at a turning point and the human desire for connection.
The film was shot over a number of years, with principal photography commencing in late 2009 and additional filming carried out in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Its story follows on from Canopy (the director's first feature), set 30 years after that film.[citation needed]
Background
Wilson has described it as second film in his regional PTSD trilogy. The film, set in 1971 rural Australia, deals with the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on a family.[1]
Wilson said that he explores themes of masculinity, vulnerability and isolation (physical and emotional) in both Canopy and Little Tornadoes. His paternal grandmother, who lived on the family farm during his childhood, became a strong influence in Wilson's life and his storytelling.[2]
The film was released in Australian cinemas on 12 May 2022.[3]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film has a score of 71% based on 7 reviews.[4]
The Guardian's Luke Buckmaster gave the film 4-stars, saying “Wilson builds an intensely thoughtful space to contemplate mental health among Australian men, particularly those living in rural communities where there are higher rates of anxiety, depression and suicide. Absorbing period drama.” [5]
The ABC Screen Show's Larissa Behrendt called the film “One of my favourites of the year. I love this depiction of a small town swept up in change.” The Today Show's Richard Wilkins calls Little Tornadoes “a fabulous film. A film that pushes a lot of buttons.”
Annika Morling writes in Metro Magazine: “In its portrayal of two women who choose to vanish from a town, Little Tornadoes offers a subtle inversion of the colonial myth of the bush as treacherous labyrinth and the town as sanctuary.” While Screenhub's Stephen A Russell says the "emotionally complex feature explores the long shadow of war in 1970s Australia.” [6]
It received an honourable mention as one of ACMI's Best Films of 2021, and was selected as one of The Guardian’s “Top 10 Australian Films of 2022”.[7]
