The Rage In Placid Lake

Product Description

THE RAGE IN PLACID LAKE is the May selection in The Film Movement Series. Placid Lake (Ben Lee) has always been different. His crayon eating scientific genius of a best friend, Gemma (Rose Byrne), also has a few issues with blending in. As an odd fish in a sea of mediocrity, his brilliant ideas are bound to get him into more trouble than success. So when he finds himself flying off the school roof and breaking every bone in his body on graduation night, Placid decides to make a bid for the elusive normal life. To his parents horror, he gets a normal job. Soon hes embracing conformity on the fast track to corporate success. But can Placid finally retire his rage in the pursuit of normalcy? Or will his plan backfire? Subscribers to Film Movement receive an outstanding film such as THE RAGE IN PLACID LAKE each month to own on DVD.

Customer Reviews:

Fluffy -- but it has Rose and Miranda.......2007-05-20

This is a goofy, lightweight Australian comedy about a teenaged genius named Placid Lake who forsakes his hippie upbringing after suffering continual physical abuse at the hands of school classmates. So, he dresses like George W. Bush and joins an insurance firm. Of course, things don't turn out quite as planned.

I don't watch THE OFFICE (British or American versions) but I imagine the quirky comedy in those must be something like this. If it weren't for the brazenly sexual moments (sans nudity), this would make a television sitcom... or it might still make a television sitcom.

The movie has dreams of being a profound message film but the result is so lacking in depth that it winds up half-hearted -- spinning mixed messages on the issues of parental expectations, conformity and non-conformity, and a not-so-mixed message on vengeance. So, pick your interpretation. Or better yet, don't bother. Just enjoy the pastel visuals (this was obviously not an American production), the charming actors and just-funning attitude.

Two of my favorites are here. Britisher Miranda Richardson and Aussi Rose Byrne (looking like the prettiest girl-geek ever). Coincidently, when I first saw Rose (THE GODDESS OF 1967), I kept thinking of other actresses she reminded of -- Jessica Alba, Shannon Doherty, and Miranda Richardson. Too bad Miranda plays the boy's mother here.

A Diamond in the Rough........2006-11-02

The Rage in Placid Lake is another gem to which my eyes were opened by the power of recommendation. It is that same recommendation that I now gladly distribute.

You may or may not have ever heard of Australian Indie Rocker Ben Lee. I cannot say that I am familiar with his catalog of music, but I can say that he was very entertaining as Placid Lake, our young protagonist who struggles to see how, or even if, his pure-bred individuality fits into today's conformist society.

Placid Lake is a rebel without a cause born of wildly outlandish parents who seem not to have their feet firmly planted anywhere near reality. His parents promote every activity for Placid to develop his own identity and to buck the system. After an accident, Placid wakes up in the hospital with a new-found drive to legitimize himself in the eyes of society; he wants to get a job selling insurance. The sharp contrast between his upbringing and his epiphany added cozy comic-relief to an intelligent story about the importance of "self."

The role models in Placid's life were polar extremes. He has his pacifist parents, who spend a little too much time disrobed around the home, and he has his manager at work, who is lost in middle management and has seemingly lost his ability to produce emotion.

The conversations that Placid has with his manager were my favorite aspect of the movie. Yes, his perspectives were narrow and extreme, but the points he made were poignant.

I also enjoyed Placid's best friend, Gemma. Gemma is a beautiful and intelligent young lady who is pushed urgently by her father to stay on track to someday make incredible breakthroughs in modern science. I like how she was written into the story in a way that Placid was able to do soul searching on behalf of them both. She was a first-hand witness to his journey into corporate monotony, from which they both learned valuable lessons about the direction of their lives.

Go ahead; see The Rage in Placid Lake. You won't be disappointed (well I hope not anyway!).

Garden State to the next level.......2005-06-06

If you like Garden State, this movie takes the same ideas to another level. Very real, interesting characters, and laugh out loud hysterical scenes. Ben Lee is great . . . loved it! My favorite from the Film Movement series so far, although followed closely by He Died With A Felafel In His Hand.

'The Rage in Placid Lake' is a gem........2005-03-19

I can't believe I didn't hear about this film when it was released. I must have missed The Movie Show that particular week. I saw the DVD on the shelf of my local video shop, while it was in the New Releases section. I saw the cover, loved the word-play in the title, and, thinking it was American, I told myself I would get it out when it gets moved to the weekly section.
I saw it, in the weekly section, some time later, and I read the blurb on the back and thought, `that sounds really interesting, I'll get it out someday'. Then last week, I picked it up again, and noticed the Australian Film Finance Corporation named on the back. I was in. I hired it, took it home, and loved every minute.
From the first scene, `The Rage in Placid Lake' sets itself up to be taken only semi-seriously. The parents of Placid Lake, our hero, are, as his name would suggest, extreme New Agers. We first meet Placid at primary school, where his mother drops him off in a dress, admonishing him to challenge the other children's pre-conceived notions of sexuality. Between flashbacks to his childhood, the film follows Placid's transition from school to work, which is fraught with stresses. Having failed to achieve happiness following his parents' advice, Placid takes a new tack: he gets his hair cut like George W. Bush, buys a suit, and lands a job with an insurance company. All of which is most distressing to his best friend Gemma, and his parents, who go to great lengths to shake him out of this Capitalist madness.
Writer and Director Tony McNamara has worked primarily in theatre, and has also written for television, including Southern Star's magnificent `The Secret Life of Us'. His background in the theatre, however, lends this film a very intimate and human touch. He had originally thought of this story as a play, but rightly judged it to be more suited to film, and made adjustments accordingly. The result is a film that stands out as something fresh, something that takes old ideas and stereotypes, and employs them to great effect.
While the characters in this film can be described as caricatures, Placid's journey into adulthood-his discovery of himself and of his relationships-resonates with such humanity that the suspension of disbelief is no effort. The pathos with which the characters are written boldly emphasises McNamara's assertion that we must be true to ourselves.
The most remarkable aspect of this film, however, remains the sad fact that so few people have seen it or even heard about it. It is an example of the magnificent films being produced in this country, and highlights the miserable plight of Australian filmmakers, overshadowed by the monstrous marketing ploys of their American counterparts. `The Rage in Placid Lake' may not quite be as noteworthy in the history of Australian film as `Jedda' or `Mad Max' or `Romper Stomper', but it makes a profound statement about humanity that sits somewhat uncomfortably in a world of Free Trade Agreements and `Wars on Terror'. What's more, it makes that statement beautifully.

charming, unique, funny.......2005-03-07

I love this movie.
The characters were real even though they were unusual. I cared about them, I loved them. They were well developed even though they were representitive arch types.
When the movie was over, I wished it weren't. To me it is a quirky work of genius, maybe even more so because of it's wonderful, gentle, directing, the perfect acting.

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The Rage in Placid Lake

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000CAIQWC

Product Description

Precocious, bohemian teenager Placid Lake, finishes high school and decides to do the one thing that will annoy his new age parents the most--go straight! With a few weeks spent reading a library of self-help manuals, Placid has it all sorted out--and he has the haircut and the cheap suit to prove it. Can Placid Lake retire his rage in the pursuit of beige; embrace conformity and leap on the fast track to corporate success. Will his 'brainiac' friend Gemma be able to talk him out of this economic rationalist madness? And will poor Doug and Sylvia survive the ignominy of having a son with a burgeoning future in insurance? Never underestimate the evil of banality.

The Rage in Placid Lake [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

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The Rage in Placid Lake [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Director: Tony McNamara
Manufacturer: Palace Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Synopsis: Australian playwright Tony McNamara makes his directorial debut with the offbeat comedy The Rage in Placid Lake, adapted from his own play The Cafe Latte Kid. In his first feature film, indie rocker Benny Lee stars as a troubled teen named Placid Lake. The child of new-agey eccentric parents (Garry McDonald and Miranda Richardson), Placid spends his childhood getting picked on by bullies. Fortunately, he finds friendship with classmate Gemma Taylor (Rose Byrne), whose father (Nicholas Hammond) pressures her to excel in school. After Placid shocks the school with his dark student film, he gets into an accident that lands him in the hospital. Upon his recovery, he reinvents himself as an conservative insurance agent and engages in an affair of sorts with emotionally detached co-worker Jane (Saskia Smith). The Rage in Placid Lake was screened at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Extras: Interactive Menu Special Edition Cast/Crew Interview(s) Commentary Featurette Alternative Footage Biographies Photo Gallery Scene Access Trailer(s)

3-Month Film Movement DVD Subscription (bonus film: The Rage in Placid Lake)

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3-Month Film Movement DVD Subscription (bonus film: The Rage in Placid Lake)

Manufacturer: Film Movement
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000UHWQ2I
Release Date: 2007-07-30

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