A LION RETURNS
*****
Director: Serhat Caradee
Screenwriter: Serhat Caradee
Principal cast:
Tyler De Nawi
Danny Elacci
Maha Wilson
Jacqui Purvis
Buddy Dannoun
Helen Chebatte
Taffy Hany
Country: Australia
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 91mins.
Australian release date: 5 November 2020.
Serhat Caradee’s sophomore feature proves that his first film, 2009’s Cedar Boys, was no flash in the pan. It’s just a shame we had to wait some 10 years for A Lion Returns because this is one of the most powerful Aussie movies of the year and shows, again, what a talent this filmmaker is. He also wrote the thoughtful and thoroughly researched screenplay, which gives real authenticity to the story. It all started when Caradee read a report about a married Australian man who left his pregnant wife in western Sydney to go and fight in Syria. When the young man returned, he was gaoled for almost five years for engaging in hostile activity in a foreign state, which got the director/writer thinking about what motivated these men to leave their families and wage war in overseas conflicts. He says, “It was important for me to reveal the reaction and attitude of an Arab Muslim family to terrorism and Jihadi activities. Especially towards a family member. A Lion Returns explores the psychological and emotional journey of our protagonist. I wanted to show both sides of the argument. It [asks] the following questions: Was [he] justified in his decision to head overseas. What was the emotional cost to his family, father, mother, brother, wife and child? What happens to him now?”
The film begins at a family gathering somewhere in suburban Sydney, when Omar (Danny Elacci) is called outside to a car in the street. There he encounters Jamal (Tyler De Nawi), the estranged brother he hasn’t seen for more than 18 months, since Jamal ‘disappeared’, leaving his wife Heidi (Jacqui Purvis) and young son Khalil (Maddox Elachi) bereft. The family always suspected that Jamal had been recruited by ISIS and now, in an intense exchange in the back of the car, Omar has his worst suspicions confirmed. It transpires that Jamal has returned to Australia to see his dying mother (Helen Chebatte) before… what? He refuses to reveal his intentions so Omar tells him about the negative impact his actions have had on him (he’s a university lecturer), their parents and their community, in the hope that he can engender some kind of reaction from Jamal and make him realise the damage he has done. This debate is beautifully written, shot and edited and lasts some time and it has you on the edge of your seat as the two brothers verbally spar with each other. It’s a tour de force scene. From then on it’s a battle of wits as Omar tries to smuggle Jamal into the house, knowing that their father (veteran actor Taffy Hany) has forbidden any contact with his terrorist son, and the home is full of people, including Heidi and Khalil.
So often, Australian screenplays feel underwritten and regular readers of this site will know that your reviewers often lament this fact. Fortunately, this is not the case with A Lion Returns. It feels complete and, although verbose, there’s barely a word out of place. It never feels like it’s written for the stage, however, and is entirely cinematic, thanks to the excellent camerawork of Simon Koloadin, whose probing lens and use of tight close-ups puts the viewer in the heart of the action. The film editing also adds to the tension, as does the spare score and soundtrack. Of particular note are the performances of the ensemble cast: Tyler De Nawi and Danny Elacci are totally believable in their leading roles, fully occupying them, but so are the performers of the supporting parts, especially Purvis, Chebatte, Hany, Maha Wilson as Omar’s wife and Buddy Dannoun as the brothers' uncle.
A Lion Returns is one of the best Australian films of 2020. If you love cinema that makes you think and stays with you after you leave the theatre, seek this important movie out. It’s having a fairly limited release, regrettably, but it deserves to be seen far and wide.
Screenwriter: Serhat Caradee
Principal cast:
Tyler De Nawi
Danny Elacci
Maha Wilson
Jacqui Purvis
Buddy Dannoun
Helen Chebatte
Taffy Hany
Country: Australia
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 91mins.
Australian release date: 5 November 2020.
Serhat Caradee’s sophomore feature proves that his first film, 2009’s Cedar Boys, was no flash in the pan. It’s just a shame we had to wait some 10 years for A Lion Returns because this is one of the most powerful Aussie movies of the year and shows, again, what a talent this filmmaker is. He also wrote the thoughtful and thoroughly researched screenplay, which gives real authenticity to the story. It all started when Caradee read a report about a married Australian man who left his pregnant wife in western Sydney to go and fight in Syria. When the young man returned, he was gaoled for almost five years for engaging in hostile activity in a foreign state, which got the director/writer thinking about what motivated these men to leave their families and wage war in overseas conflicts. He says, “It was important for me to reveal the reaction and attitude of an Arab Muslim family to terrorism and Jihadi activities. Especially towards a family member. A Lion Returns explores the psychological and emotional journey of our protagonist. I wanted to show both sides of the argument. It [asks] the following questions: Was [he] justified in his decision to head overseas. What was the emotional cost to his family, father, mother, brother, wife and child? What happens to him now?”
The film begins at a family gathering somewhere in suburban Sydney, when Omar (Danny Elacci) is called outside to a car in the street. There he encounters Jamal (Tyler De Nawi), the estranged brother he hasn’t seen for more than 18 months, since Jamal ‘disappeared’, leaving his wife Heidi (Jacqui Purvis) and young son Khalil (Maddox Elachi) bereft. The family always suspected that Jamal had been recruited by ISIS and now, in an intense exchange in the back of the car, Omar has his worst suspicions confirmed. It transpires that Jamal has returned to Australia to see his dying mother (Helen Chebatte) before… what? He refuses to reveal his intentions so Omar tells him about the negative impact his actions have had on him (he’s a university lecturer), their parents and their community, in the hope that he can engender some kind of reaction from Jamal and make him realise the damage he has done. This debate is beautifully written, shot and edited and lasts some time and it has you on the edge of your seat as the two brothers verbally spar with each other. It’s a tour de force scene. From then on it’s a battle of wits as Omar tries to smuggle Jamal into the house, knowing that their father (veteran actor Taffy Hany) has forbidden any contact with his terrorist son, and the home is full of people, including Heidi and Khalil.
So often, Australian screenplays feel underwritten and regular readers of this site will know that your reviewers often lament this fact. Fortunately, this is not the case with A Lion Returns. It feels complete and, although verbose, there’s barely a word out of place. It never feels like it’s written for the stage, however, and is entirely cinematic, thanks to the excellent camerawork of Simon Koloadin, whose probing lens and use of tight close-ups puts the viewer in the heart of the action. The film editing also adds to the tension, as does the spare score and soundtrack. Of particular note are the performances of the ensemble cast: Tyler De Nawi and Danny Elacci are totally believable in their leading roles, fully occupying them, but so are the performers of the supporting parts, especially Purvis, Chebatte, Hany, Maha Wilson as Omar’s wife and Buddy Dannoun as the brothers' uncle.
A Lion Returns is one of the best Australian films of 2020. If you love cinema that makes you think and stays with you after you leave the theatre, seek this important movie out. It’s having a fairly limited release, regrettably, but it deserves to be seen far and wide.