Many summer indie movies try to wow audiences by offering exceptional, heavy handed Oscar (light) bait. Nothing seems to want to be in the business to provide characteristics of an entertaining thriller for this time of year. Art house has to mostly be serious. Sure we see whimsical comedies from the sub genre this time of year, but when was the last time an old fashioned mystery took the art house cinemas by storm? However, “Wish You Were Here” has the possibility to do just that. And this possibility could likely happen if audiences decide to see it.
What starts out as a simple intriguing premise, “Four Went. Three came back. Only one of them knows what happened,” unravels into something much more. The 30-something Australians take an unplanned holiday/vacation to Cambodia. An incident happens and they retrace their steps to figure out what really happened. This is probably one of those movies where the less you see the better you are off.
Filmmaker Kieran Darcy-Smith, in his Directorial debut, worked with Joel Edgerton on the exceptional Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom. There collaboration again should excite cinemaphiles and movie fans who enjoy an old fashioned thriller. If only the talented Jackie Weaver was in it this time! The acting in “Wish You Were” Here promises to be just as great which says a lot considering the exceptional work in “Animal Kingdom.”
“Wish You Were Here” played at the last year’s Sundance Film Festival where recently emerged film distributor eOne won a hotly sought after bidding war between two different companies! Clearly studios thought this would be profitable and eOne placed confidence in releasing it during the summer months. With playing in a VERY limited release, a movie like “Wish You Were Here” will need an audience. And those audiences will be eager to check out of reality. I find it more fun to do this during a stylish indie than a brainless popcorn super hero movie. I have a feeling most audiences who check this out will be rather pleased. Look for it playing at a nearby art house cinema.
