Lou

2010

Drama

1
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 56%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 56% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.4/10 10 425 425

australia alzheimer's disease family relationships new south wales

Plot summary

Rhia's relationship with her daughter Lou hits an all-time low when she lets her father-in-law, Doyle, who has Alzheimer's, move in. More problems arise when Doyle mistakes Lou for his late wife, Annie.

Director

Belinda Chayko Photo
Belinda Chayko

Top cast

John Hurt Photo
John Hurt as Doyle
Jay Ryan Photo
Jay Ryan as Cosmo
Damien Garvey Photo
Damien Garvey as Colin
Emily Barclay Photo
Emily Barclay as Rhia
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
737.73 MB
1280*694
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 20 min
Seeds ...
1.34 GB
1920*1040
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 20 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by TxMike

Pleasant, small movie about family and relationships.

Reviewed by gregking4 6 / 10

Another fairly grim and down beat Australian drama about a dysfunctional family

Another fairly grim and down beat Australian drama about a dysfunctional family, that is becoming a staple of local filmmakers. However, Lou is leavened with touches of humour and boasts some excellent performances that lift it. Lou stars John Hurt (The Elephant Man, etc) and Emily Barclay (best remembered for her AFI award winning role as the troubled protagonist of Suburban Mayhem). Barclay plays Rhia, a young mother of three girls who is struggling to make ends meet. She has an especially difficult relationship with her eldest daughter, the precocious eleven year old Louisa (played by newcomer Lucy bell-Tindley), who blames Rhia for driving her father away. With a credit company threatening to take away their possessions due to her failure to pay her bills, Rhia reluctantly to take in the girls' grandfather Doyle (Hurt) and claim the meagre carer's payment. But Doyle suffers from Alzheimer's Disease, and caring for him is not always easy. At first Louisa is resentful of his presence, especially since the muddled old man refers to her as Annie, the name of his former wife. Louisa is also busy caring for her two younger sisters while Rhia is at work or having trouble coping with the disappointments of her own life. But slowly a bond develops between the two, and a strong but strange relationship develops between the pair. Written and directed by Belinda Chayko (who worked as an editor on the TV series Fireflies), the film delivers a solid emotional journey as it probes this dysfunctional family. But the film suffers a little from under developed scripting and characterisation. It also lacks a clear focus – who are we supposed to identify with and care for here? Is it the troubled Louisa, Rhia, or the confused Doyle? Chayko directs the claustrophobic and combustible environment with a deal of empathy, and she drags solid performances from her small cast. Barclay brings grit and a sense of desperation to her performance. Hurt is very good and sympathetic, and he deftly avoids the easy mannerisms that could have turned his performances into a cliché. But the standout performance comes from Bell-Tindley, who is a revelation, and plays her role with assurance and maturity beyond her tender years. Cinematographer Hugh Miller also beautifully captures the film's setting, the cane fields of rural northern New South Wales and offers up some beautiful imagery that resonates beyond the kitchen sink drama. Nonetheless, there is an element of familiarity about much of the drama unfolding
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