Outback Mistakehouse

Imagine for a second that you’re an immigrant youngster: Your father is borderline suicidal, and your nympho mom’s screwed everyone in town except the village idiot. That’s director Richard Roxburgh’s Romulus, My Father – a pleasant bundle of childhood memories guaranteed to culminate into decades of psychotherapy. It’s rural Australia, circa summer 1960, and Yugoslav émigré Romulus Gaita (Eric Bana) has traded war-torn Serbian life for, well, the blatant domestic infidelities of his bohemian, German wife Christina (Franka Potente). Not exactly a fair exchange, by crikey. So when the town doorknob (everyone’s had a turn) shacks up and bares children with Romulus’ immigrant pal Mitru, son Raimond (Kodi Smit-McPhee) watches in nonjudgmental wonder as his intrepid father comes unhinged. Radiantly beautiful camerawork highlights this saga of hardship and rustic misery. Romulus, My Father screens all week at Lake Worth Playhouse (713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth). Tickets run $5 to $8. Call 561-586-6410, or visit www.lakeworthplayhouse.org.
March 23-27, 2008