Liverpool Film Festival: Locusts is Plagued by Narrative Confusion - Review

By Liam Jones

There is no lack of effort from director, Heath Davis (Broke, Book Week), but plot-holes and jarring tonal shifts prevent this film from becoming anything other than average.

City slicker, Ryan Black (Ben Geurens) returns to the Aussie outback following the passing of his abusive father. The death reunites him with his estranged brother Tyson (Nathaniel Dean), who has spent time in prison and his ex-girlfriend Izzy (Jessica McNamee), a single mother who works nights as a stripper.

Ryan is soon reminded of why he left his old town, Serenity Crossing, when he and his brother become the target of an extorsion scam by a local gang.

The performances are fine, Nathaniel Dean is particularly impressive as the troubled brother, but the films scattered direction can not seem to decide what type of film it wants to be. It would be interesting to ask what genre of film writer/producer Angus Watts set out to create. It shifts between intense drama, heist-comedy and slap-tick comedy to the point of disorientation.

There are positives, though. Cinematographer Chris Bland captures the barren beauty of the outback with scrumptious wide shots that would not be out of place in a nature programme, and composer Burkhard von Dallwitz also shineswith his slow Western inspired guitar score.

Watts tries to avert from the schlocky narrative with a couple of late twists but they ultimately strain disbelief. Locusts would have benefitted from a strict script editor who could have helped filter out some of the implausibility’s and loose ends that keep from making this beautiful looking film narratively tangible.