Kate Woods’ new film Kangaroo is the heartwarming pick

The new Australian family film, Kangaroo, is a rare beast. It’s not just a movie for kids that adults can tolerate. It’s funny, heartfelt, emotionally authentic and ultimately uplifting.

It’s been 25 years since director Kate Woods released the much-loved coming-of-age classic Looking For Alibrandi. That might seem like a long time between big screen gigs, but a quick look at Woods’ IMDb page brings up dozens of small screen credits both here and in the United States. She’s hardly been twiddling her thumbs.

You might know the story that inspired Kangaroo. Around 2005, outback tour guide Chris “Brolga” Barns set up Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, after too many experiences rescuing orphaned joeys from the pouches of road-killed mothers. His most famous rescue, Roger the “sparring” kangaroo, became an internet sensation.

Studio Canal (the creators of the Paddington films) bought the rights to Brolga’s book, Kangaroo Dundee. But as Woods told me, they “didn’t actually want his story, so we made one up”.

In this case, “we” is Brolga Films and screenwriter Harry Cripps, with a little help from Looking for Alibrandi author and screenwriter, Melina Marchetta. Kangaroo’s screenplay has a light touch, and a fine balance between humour and serious themes – just one of the many factors that come together to make the film work.

Pit stop at Silver Gum

The story follows Charlie (Lily Whiteley), a young girl grieving the death of her father. Charlie and her mother Rosie (Deborah Mailman) move to the small fictional outback town of Silver Gum where her grandparents Gwennie (Trisha Morton-Thomas) and Ralph (Wayne Blair) live.

Charlie and her father shared a deep connection with kangaroos, and she honours that by caring for orphaned joeys in her bedroom – much to her mother’s frustration.

Meanwhile, in Sydney, ambitious TV weather man Chris Masterman (Ryan Corr) takes the advice of his producer (Brooke Satchwell) to be more action-oriented if he wants a big promotion. But his efforts with a dolphin go horribly, virally, wrong.

Chris is fired, and cancelled, so he heads to Broome in his Corvette to take the only job that will have him. But on the way he collides with a kangaroo and finds himself stranded in Silver Gum with a rescued joey.

He waits for his car to be fixed by Dave the mechanic (Ernie Dingo), who is in cahoots with Charlie to keep him there long enough to trick him into caring for his (and other) orphaned joeys. The longer Chris stays, the more joeys he ends up looking after.

The film’s excellent supporting cast includes Rachel House, Genevieve Lemon, Emily Taheny, Salvatore Coco, Rob Carlton, Roy Billing and Rarriwuy Hick. Together, they bring the town and its story to life.

The talented cast brings the little town of Silver Gum to life. Studio Canal

A breakthrough role for Whiteley

Much of this story’s success rides on the performance of the actor playing Charlie.

It’s not the first time Woods has needed an exceptional performance by a newcomer to carry a film. In Looking For Alibrandi, it was Pia Miranda. Here it’s the remarkable and very watchable Lily Whiteley.

Woods told me:

[Whiteley] had never stood in front of a camera before […] [she] was a gymnast and a dancer and so very disciplined, and took on the task of becoming an actor very seriously and very beautifully […] the minute we all saw Lily […] I just knew she was Charlie.

Whiteley is magic onscreen, and holds her own in the company of experienced talent.

Lily Whiteley shines as Charley in her first big screen role. Studio Canal

However, as good as the human cast is, they’re arguably upstaged by the marsupial cast. While many of the scenes with adult kangaroos are achieved using CGI (computer-generated imagery), the cast of joeys are the real thing.

As Woods explained:

they all had their own trailer and Chris Barns […] taught us how to look after them.

Then there are the visuals

Sam Hobbs’ production design and Kieran Fowler’s cinematography authentically bring the small community of Silver Gum to life.

The film’s stunning outback backdrop feels like much more than just product placement for potential tourists – which is unsurprising as the second unit work is done by renowned director and cinematographer Warwick Thornton.

Kangaroo succeeds on many levels. Woods notes that many outback films are about isolation and darker themes. Not this one. In her own words, this is a joyous film about “a thriving community and the healing power of nature and animals”.

It’s also about redemption, and the power of believing in yourself and others. “I want to create films that are an emotional experience, not just a laugh,” Woods said.

I’d say she has certainly achieved that.

Kangaroo is in cinemas from today.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Chris Thompson, Australian Catholic University

Chris Thompson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.