Oyster Farmer

Jack (Alex O’Lachlan) is a city boy whose sister has been convalescing in a hospital after a car accident. When her insurance coverage runs out, he robs a fish market and mails the money to himself at a remote, rural post office up the Hawkesbury River. When he arrives in town, the package is nowhere to be found, and Jack suspects that one of the local yokels might have already pilfered his precious parcel.

To keep a low profile, he takes a demanding job right in the midst of this tight-knit community of oyster farmers. Plus, he takes a liking to a pretty hitchhiker named Pearl (Diana Glenn)—This is the basic premise of Oyster Farmer, a deliberately-paced affair which cleverly mixes a neuroses, comedy, passion and mystery in what, at heart, is a dysfunctional ensemble drama. The movie marks the writing and directorial debut of Australian Anna Reeves who took full advantage of the scenic region to produce a picture which, cinematically, is very easy on the eyes. An engaging, offbeat, unpretentious salt-of-the-earth tale with oodles of charm.

Excellent (3.5 stars)
Unrated, with profanity, mature themes,
female frontal nudity and graphic sexuality.
Running time: 93 minutes
Distributor: The Cinema Guild