This cute Australian musical (pronounced brand new day) was adapted from a popular stage show but director Rachel Perkins makes full use of beautiful vistas and outside locations. Set in 1965, it's the story of an aboriginal boy who attends a religious boarding school but yearns for a pretty girl at home. All of the actors were unknown to me except Geoffrey Rush (Oscar winner for Shine (1996), nominated for Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Quills (2000), he was also great in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), Munich (2005), Pirates of the Caribbean (2003, 06, 07), and, my personal favorite, the crazy guy in The Banger Sisters (2002)), whose participation no doubt insured funding and distribution outside of Rush's native Australia. Perhaps not award-winning performances, the rest of the cast gets the point across, especially Ernie Dingo as Father Tadpole, who has the second longest resumé in the cast ('Missy' Higgins, as the hippie chick, has a great voice and has a few musical credits). I like Dingo's voice, too.
Here's the trailer, which will give you a taste of the production numbers, and a spoiler-free interview with the director. There are plenty of nice touches, including some cartoonish-ness (watch for the snoring of Rush's character, Father Benedictus).
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