Drift (2013 Australian film)

Drift is a 2013 Australian film about the birth of the surf industry in the 1970s. It was shot in Western Australia and co-directed by Morgan O'Neill and Ben Nott and starring Sam Worthington, Xavier Samuel and Myles Pollard.

Drift
Theatrical film poster
Directed byMorgan O'Neill
Ben Nott
Produced byMichele Bennett
Tim Duffy
Myles Pollard
Screenplay byMorgan O'Neill
Story byMorgan O'Neill
Tim Duffy
StarringSam Worthington
Xavier Samuel
Myles Pollard
Lesley-Ann Brandt
Music byMichael Yezerski
CinematographyGeoffrey Hall
Edited byMarcus D'Arcy
Distributed byLionsgate
Wrekin Hill (USA)
Hopscotch (Australia)
Release date
  • 2 May 2013 (2013-05-02)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11.4 million[1]

Plot

Set in a remote town on Australia's spectacular and rugged coastline in the early '70s, Drift tells the story of two brothers at the genesis of the modern surf industry.

Determined to escape a life of factory work and petty crime, headstrong older brother Andy (Myles Pollard) and his wayward surf prodigy younger brother Jimmy (Xavier Samuel) form a volatile alliance. With their seamstress mother Kat (Robyn Malcolm) they fashion custom-made Drift wetsuits and new shorter surfboards out of their back yard garage.

Their fledgling business generates a powerful buzz amongst the hard-core local surfers, but the brothers’ progressive ideas are soon at odds with their conservative town and find themselves embroiled in a violent feud with a drug-dealing biker gang looking to manipulate Drift's early success.

Enter JB, an infamous surf filmmaker (Sam Worthington) and Lani (Lesley-Ann Brandt), his gorgeous Hawaiian companion who drift into town just as the brothers' business and troubles begin to escalate. The travellers embody the era's anti-establishment vibe and are skeptical, but soon realize if the brothers can survive and stay true to their surfing roots, they might be part of something greater than they ever imagined.

Based on true stories from the era, Drift is the action filled story of a complex family of outsiders who struggle to escape their troubled past to forge a successful future…stumbling upon the worldwide multibillion-dollar cultural movement we know today.

Cast

Production

Tim Duffy wrote an early script in 2007. Myles Pollard became attached as actor and producer and asked Sam Worthington, with whom he had attended Drama School, to star. Worthington expressed interest but at the time was unable to commit given his international film schedule. Morgan O'Neill wrote the screenplay and came on board as co-director with Ben Nott. Worthington became available and agreed to play a support role and funding was obtained from Screen Australia, Screen West, Screen NSW, Tourism WA and Fulcrum Media Finance. Shooting took 31 days in August–September 2011 in south west Western Australia.[2]

Box office

The film was released in Australia in early 2013. On its opening weekend it earned $268,570 at the box office making an average of $1,918 across 140 screens.[3]

Still playing in Australian cinemas in its twelfth week of release, it's currently grossed over $938,000.

Film festivals
  • Official selection Hamptons Film Festival 2013
  • Official selection Newport Beach Film Festival 2013
  • Official selection Maui International Film Festival 2013
  • Official selection Rincon International Film Festival 2013

Awards
Award Category Subject Result
AACTA Awards
(3rd)		 Best Original Screenplay Morgan O'Neill Nominated
Tim Duffy Nominated
Best Cinematography Geoffrey Hall Nominated
Best Original Music Score Michael Yezerski Nominated
AWGIE Award Best Writing in a Feature Film - Original Morgan O'Neill Nominated
Tim Duffy Nominated
FCCA Awards Best Actor Sam Worthington Nominated
Best Cinematography Geoffrey Hall Nominated
Maui Film Festival Extreme Cinemas Award Won
Newport Beach Film Festival Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking Won
Rincon International Film Festival Best Film Won
Best of the Fest Won
Audience Choice Award Won
West Australian Screen Award Best Actor Myles Pollard Won

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 32% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 4.65/10.[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[5]

Australian critical response was positive:

  • "An entertaining ride with startling cinematography" - Roger Moore, McClatchy - Tribune News Service.[6]
  • "Four Stars" - David & Margaret At The Movies. ABC1.[7]
  • "I had a ball. It's funny and truthful... and the surfing takes your breath away" - Paul Byrnes, The Sydney Morning Herald.[8]
  • "Great story, great cast... 5 stars... Best Aussie film since The Castle" - Jason Davis, Weekend Sunrise Seven Network.[9]
  • "Pollard and Samuel are excellent" - David Stratton, The Australian.[10]
  • "O’Neill’s story of innovation against the odds and young manhood continually surprises and engages" - Daniel Murphy, Empire[11]
  • "Four Stars" - The Australian.
  • "Exquisitely shot and warmly crafted" - Erin Free, FilmInk.[12]
  • "Thrilling... dramatically compelling" - Nick Dent, Time Out Sydney.[13]
  • "The best surfing I've seen in a feature film" - Stu Nettle, Swellnet.[14]
  • "Drift is that rare thing: an Australian surf film with not just spectacular wave action but an engaging story" - Garry Maddox, Sydney Morning Herald.[10]

References
  1. "Aussie Box office gets the staggers", If Magazine, 21 May 2013 accessed 21 May 2013
  2. "Drift: Ben Nott and Myles Pollard interview" by Don Groves SBS Films 25 April 2013 accessed 23 June 2013.
  3. "70s surf flick Drift takes $268,000 in first week", Mumbrella accessed 19 June 2013
  4. "Drift (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. "Drift (2013) Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. Moore, Roger (2 August 2013). "Aussie surfers ride the waves of change in 'Drift'". U-T San Diego. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  7. "Drift". 30 April 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  8. Byrnes, Paul (4 May 2013). "Swell times". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  9. Jabba (5 May 2013). Drift Sunrise Review (Television production). Australia: Vimeo.
  10. "'Drift' generates strong buzz in opening weekend". ScreenWest. 7 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  11. "Drift". Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  12. Free, Erin (1 May 2013). "Drift". FilmInk. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  13. Dent, Nick (3 April 2013). "Myles Pollard on Drift". Time Out. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  14. Nettle, Stu (16 April 2013). "Drift: Review". Retrieved 27 November 2013.
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