The Furnace (2020 film)

The Furnace
Directed byRoderick MacKay
Written byRoderick MacKay
Produced byTimothy White
Tenille Kennedy
StarringAhmed Malek
Baykali Ganambarr
David Wenham
CinematographyMichael McDermott
Bonnie Elliot
Edited byMerlin Eden
Music byMark Bradshaw
Production
company
Umbrella Entertainment
Release date
  • September 2020 (2020-09) (Venice)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

The Furnace is a 2020 Australian adventure drama film written and directed by Roderick MacKay. Set in the Western Australian outback during the goldrushes of the 1890s, the film's characters include "Afghan" cameleers, a white gold thief, and local Aboriginal people. It was nominated for several AACTA Awards.

Cast

Synopsis

The film is set during the Western Australian gold rushes of the 1890s, and its characters represent some of the "Afghan" cameleers (who actually came from India, Persia, and other parts of the Middle East, and belonged to Islamic, Sikh and Hindu faiths[1]) who brought their camel trains to help open up the Australian outback from the mid-19th century. Two young Afghan cameleers, Hanif and Jundah, form a friendship with an Aboriginal hunter, Woorak. Hanif is trying to find an illegal furnace so that he can melt two bars of stolen gold, which he acquired by chance after coming across Mal, the sole survivor of a group massacre. The two men have to compromise in order to survive the journey through the arid outback, while evading capture by Gold Squad officers.[2][1]

Production

The film was directed by Roderick MacKay,[3] his debut as director.[4]

Several of the Aboriginal actors speak their Badimaya language, one of many Aboriginal Australian languages which are endangered.[2] It was filmed in Yamatji country in what is now known as the Mid West region, in the Shire of Mount Magnet (Badimaya) and Kalbarri (Nhanda).[5][4]

The Furnace was produced by Southern Light Films, Meaning Maker and The Koop, and distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Umbrella Films and internationally by Arclight Films.[4]

Release

The Furnace premiered at the 77th Venice Film Festival in September 2020,[6] the only Australian film selected for the festival.[1]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 18 critics, with an average rating of 7.1/10.[7]

David Stratton wrote "If the film has a flaw it's that it doesn't quite reach the satisfying climax it promises; it's beautiful, even powerful, but rather bleak".[8]

According to Jake Wilson of The Age, "MacKay is not lacking in talent, but for a first-time director he may have taken on a little too much. While the scattered quality of the storytelling may be partly deliberate, a bigger problem is the lack of consistent tone".[9]

Writing for The Hollywood Reporter David Rooney commented that the film "Smolders effectively, even if it doesn't quite achieve maximum heat".[10]

Xan Brooks of The Guardian called The Furnace "as tough as old leather and as unadorned as cow hide",[11] while Variety's Jay Weissberg called the film "An enjoyably absorbing experience".[12] Lance Bakare wrote in The Guardian that he hoped that the film would help to highlight some forgotten history of Australia, giving the film 4 out of 5 stars.[5]

Accolades

Award Category Subject Result
AACTA Awards
(11th)[13] 		Best Film Tenille Kennedy Nominated
Timothy White Nominated
Best Direction Roderick MacKay Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Best Actor Ahmed Malek Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Baykali Ganambarr Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b c Singh, Manpreet K. (9 December 2020). "'Confronting truths': Film peels back layers of 'untold history' of migrant cameleers in Australia". SBS Language. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Australian feature film shines light on pioneering gold rush cameleers". Gold Industry Group. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  3. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (8 December 2020). "The Furnace review – David Wenham's gold thief traverses harsh outback morality". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Smit, Sarah (31 July 2020). "WA film 'The Furnace' only Australian film selected for Venice Film Festival". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b Bakare, Lanre (8 September 2020). "The Furnace director: stories of Australia's cameleers 'felt like a huge historic omission'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  6. ^ O'Shea, Ben (6 September 2020). "WA film The Furnace wins applause at Venice Film Festival". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  7. ^ "The Furnace (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  8. ^ Stratton, David (11 December 2020). "Anne Hathaway in top form in Roald Dahl's The Witches". The Australian. Retrieved 14 November 2021.[dead link]
  9. ^ Wilson, Jake (9 December 2020). "First-timer forges an unconventional Australian Western". The Age. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  10. ^ Rooney, David (4 September 2020). "'The Furnace': Film Review - Venice 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  11. ^ Brooks, Xan (4 September 2020). "The Furnace review – brutish western is tough as old leather and good as gold". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  12. ^ Weissberg, Jay (16 September 2020). "'The Furnace' Review: Oz Western Delivers Racial Sensitivity and Good Old-Fashioned Storytelling". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Winners & Nominees". AACTA Awards. Retrieved 14 November 2021.