Starring: Bill Nighy, Milan Burch, Victoria Hill
Distributor: Transmission Films
Runtime: 96 mins. Reviewed in Jun 2021
Reviewer: Peter W Sheehan
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The title of this Australian-Canadian Film refers to the improbable survival of someone who is given little chance of success. The historical reference is to an escaped convict, William Buckley (1780-1856), who escaped from captivity in Australia, and was assumed dead. Buckley lived in the Australian outback with an Indigenous community for 30 years.
In this film, which is directed by Canadian director, Tim Brown, a young boy, named Ridley (Milan Burch), tragically loses his much-loved father. A year after his father’s death, Ridley’s mother, Gloria (Victoria Hill), decides to move to Western Australia to spend time with Ridley’s estranged grandfather, Spencer (Bill Nighy), who runs an outback station. Spencer tries clumsily to relate to his grandson, but every attempt he makes to connect with Ridley fails. An unhappy, conflicted Ridley gets caught in a land grab venture that goes wrong, and he runs away to escape. Ridley roams alone, while Spencer, Gloria and others frantically search for him. Ridley is assumed lost, and Ridley is given “Buckley’s Chance” of making it back home.
Ridley has multiple adventures in trying to cope with what the harsh Australian outback delivers. In the course of his wandering, he saves a dingo trapped among steel wires. The dingo is distressed, and (speaking anthropomorphically) is “grateful” for being released. Ridley and the dingo bond to each other, and the dog becomes Ridley’s trusted friend. Ridley names the dingo, Buckley, and together they face the multiple challenges of the Australian outback, which include dangerous encounters which threaten Ridley’s survival. Buckley, for example, saves a sleeping Ridley from a poisonous snake slithering menacingly towards him, and Buckley tracks Ridley caught in surging river waters. After being found, Ridley returns home, with Buckley loyally by his side. He is reunited with his family, and Spencer discovers where his affection truly lies.
Milan Burch captures a young boy’s vulnerability well, but a little stolidly, after what he thought were much better times in New York City. Bill Nighy projects a low key, paternal demeanour that rises to agitated apprehension as Spencer realises the risks Ridley has to take to endure.
A significant question comes to mind in assessing the impact of a film like this one. In what way, does the film feature an animal to arouse human feelings and motivations? This expresses anthropomorphism, and animal-friendly movies routinely project it. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human feelings, intentions, and emotions to non-human entities, and the competition for good anthropomorphic movies is strong. Storm Boy (2019) successfully featured a young boy interacting positively with orphaned pelicans; and a loveable kelpie dog called “Red Dog” loyally returns home to his beloved master in the film of the same name (Red Dog, 2011). This movie, however, has to overcome some negative feelings about dingoes that were evident in Evil Angels (1988) which was a film about whether a dingo carried off Lindy Chamberlain’s 9-week-old baby, Azaria, at Ayres Rock. In this film, Buckley is a highly trained animal, that is easy to like, and he is well suited to the attribution of positive human feelings and intentions.
As Charlie’s Country (2013) and Sweet Country (2017), have done before it, this film uses good cinematography to capture the starkness of outback Australia. It focuses on Ridley’s struggle to survive, but lacks the dramatic intensity of the previous mentioned movies. Its scripting is surprisingly unsubtle, and direction heavy-handed. At heart, it is a personable, obvious movie about a young boy finding love and support within the arms of his family, when he is given help by a trusted animal friend, called Buckley.
For Ridley, Buckley was a Chance worth taking, and with Ridley back home, Buckley is free to return to his own.
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