Film Review - Under Streetlights

Images courtesy of Screen Inc.

Under Streetlights is an appealing feel-good film from Australia’s outback core, and a triumph of independent Aussie filmmaking. A chance encounter at her mother’s wake finds Ella (Madison Hull) connecting with Izak (Jacob Harvey) over a shared love of music. The two have an easy chemistry as their friendship blossoms into full blown creative partnership. There’s a star crossed lovers story being told here except refreshingly, they’re just friends; Ella’s father is a police officer, and Izak is Aboriginal and has been persecuted by the Northern Territory police, bringing a sense of true to life tension.

There’s something appealingly modern about Under Streetlights which helps its characters and their experiences ring true. These two young musicians are bedroom producers. Izak composes almost entirely on his phone and carefully saves money for an eventual studio session. The two call and send their work-in-progress music to each other. The film does a great job of capturing the creative processes of young aspiring artists. These songs are frequently played throughout the movie and is actor Jacob Harvey’s real creative output as a musician.

Despite its positive outlook the systemic and cultural issues faced by Ella and Izak never feel like they’re taken lightly or easily solved. In the film, as in real life, alcoholism, drug use, and poverty are substantial challenges. Under Streetlights doesn’t get bogged down by these real world issues, they’re never reduced to misery-porn. Instead there’s an enduring sense of hope for the next generation in the film. The present is for the young, and their parents must look to them to regain their own hope. 

This is storytelling done by and for the people it’s depicting. It’s a reminder that Australian filmmaking about the Outback doesn’t need to be mythologised or alienated. The Alice Springs in the film isn’t some remote place filled with strange characters and a hostile landscape, instead it’s Ella and Izak’s home. Alice Springs has never looked better, a small rural town nestled between gorgeous hills. It’s not filmed as spectacle but instead with a strong sense of the familiar. There may be more technically impressive films of the Australian landscape out there, but Under Streetlights goes toe to toe with its strong sense of heart.

Under Streetlights is screening in select cinemas from Thursday December 12th. For tickets and more info, click here.