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  • 2019
  • Uncork'd Entertainment
  • 1 h 18 m
  • 2019
  • Uncork'd Entertainment
  • 1 h 18 m

Summary Separated from his family and caught in a cycle of gambling and debt, Jim has less than a day to repay a violent loan shark. His day is turned upside down when he must look after his young. Jim's relationship with his son is tested as his plans to pay back the loan fail. When his last desperate effort to repay the debt puts his son's lif...

  • 2019
  • Uncork'd Entertainment
  • 1 h 18 m
  • 2019
  • Uncork'd Entertainment
  • 1 h 18 m

West of Sunshine

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
64
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Separated from his family and caught in a cycle of gambling and debt, Jim has less than a day to repay a violent loan shark. His day is turned upside down when he must look after his young. Jim's relationship with his son is tested as his plans to pay back the loan fail. When his last desperate effort to repay the debt puts his son's lif...

Where to Watch

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
64
67% Positive
6 Reviews
33% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
64
67% Positive
6 Reviews
33% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Jan 9, 2019
Arriving at a moment when parenting and child development are being closely analyzed and discussed, West of Sunshine is a timely and intelligent essay on the eternal theme of how fathers can both inspire and alienate their sons.
By Richard Kuipers FULL REVIEW
75
Jan 9, 2019
A drama crafted with precision, and feeling, West of Sunshine succeeds admirably with its modest ambitions, as the filmmaker puts himself on the horizon as one to watch.
By Kevin Jagernauth FULL REVIEW
70
Jan 24, 2019
In the modest but sneakily affecting Australian father-son drama West of Sunshine, your sympathies for a problematic dad come and go in waves, sometimes within the span of a few seconds.
By Robert Abele FULL REVIEW
70
Jan 9, 2019
In addition to the obviously authentic rapport between the quietly compelling Hill and impressive first-timer Perham, populating the feature’s frames with as many non-actors as possible also adds detail and texture.
By Sarah Ward FULL REVIEW
63
Jan 8, 2019
Whatever predictable, melodramatic turns this Jason Raftopoulos film takes, it rarely blinks and never gives itself over to the “romance” of gambling and the gambler’s lifestyle.
By Roger Moore FULL REVIEW
60
Jan 8, 2019
West of Sunshine’s rough, down-at-heel Aussie vibe prompts one to set it alongside other recent bawlers and brawlers, such as Kriv Stenders’ Boxing Day or David Michod’s Animal Kingdom. But Raftopoulos is altogether more protective of his characters, shielding them from full-blown horror, clearly wishing them well even as they stumble and fall, and his film works best in tenderly framing a burgeoning father-son friendship.
By Xan Brooks FULL REVIEW
40
Jan 8, 2019
Hill does his best but Jim is woefully underwritten, a shuffling loser who various other characters try to bolster with the dignity of a back story that doesn’t seem to fit his actual behaviour.
By John Bleasdale FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company Exile Entertainment, Small Village Films
Release Date Jan 18, 2019
Duration 1 h 18 m
Genres
Website https://www.facebook.com/westofsunshine
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Awards

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards
• 3 Nominations
Australian Film Critics Association Awards
• 2 Nominations
Barcelona International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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