Director Stephen Dupont
Starring Geoff Morrell, David Field & Tim Oxley
Rated E15+
Score 5/6
A spiritual epic road movie for the love of music and country. What do you get when you cross two of Australia’s most recognised actors with a musical wizard? A troubadour trio of conscientious ‘vagabonds’ who bring their ‘bad ass gospel’ country music to the most remote and marginalized people in Australia.
They seek fameless perfection through their unique sound and dedicated audiences. But they also dream of one day playing The Grand Ol Oprey in Nashville.
For those of you who might remember, I previously posted a That Half Barbaric Twang back in April when the documentary was headed to the Gold Coast Film Festival and kind of glad that I got the chance to watch That Half Barbaric Twang. Personally I believe that if you ever get the chance to go to a documentary film festival you should watch at least one documentary about music or a band. A sign of how good a documentary about music or a band is if you find yourself listening to the music after you’ve finished watching the documentary.
Essentially being a road trip movie there’s some beautifully shot scenery. I kind of admired the scenes that director Stephen Dupont shot while in a car being driven (I realise that a camera rig was used) back in my younger days before The Movie Boards, I tried filming while sitting in the back of a car driven by a friend. The footage I shot had a surrealist quality. There are several moments throughout the movie that could be used for a good album cover. I also appreciated every time the band played, Dupont seemed to shoot it in a subtly different way. There was an interesting point made about roads and First Nations. I also loved the band’s philosophy that if we like the look of a place we will get out and play is a similar philosophy behind some of the interesting stories my Dad has told about the road trips he has gone on with his friends. That Half Barbaric Twang MDFF information.