Movie Review: Beautiful

Rated: MA

Danny (Sebastian Gregory) is a sweet but geeky 14-year-old who lives in the leafy, too-good-to-be-true suburb of Sunshine Hills with his cop father and stepmum. According to local rumour – which we hear through a narration by a neighbour, Mrs Thomson (Deborra-Lee Furness) – there are nasty goings-on in the area, from schoolgirl abductions and child abuse to domestic violence. Every male in the vicinty seems to have a hidden dark side – Danny’s father included.

Danny has a huge crush on Mrs Thomson's daughter Suzy (Tahyna Tozzi), who is every schoolboy’s blonde fantasy – and she knows it. She persuades Danny to investigate a house down the street occupied by a woman who spends all day standing at the window, anxiously awaiting the return of her violent partner.

This film looks at the disastrous consequences of neighbourhood gossip. It’s well acted and occasionally suspenseful but let down by clumsy dialogue, story threads that don’t satisfactorily resolve and a slightly repetitive soundtrack.

Rating: 5/10