Wish You Were Here (2012 film)
Wish You Were Here is a 2012 Australian mystery drama film directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith and starring Felicity Price, Joel Edgerton, Teresa Palmer, and Antony Starr. Set in Cambodia and Australia, it details the aftermath of a Southeast Asian holiday gone awry for two couples.
Wish You Were Here | |
---|---|
Directed by | Kieran Darcy-Smith |
Written by | Kieran Darcy-Smith Felicity Price |
Produced by | Angie Fielder Aquarius films |
Starring | Felicity Price Joel Edgerton Teresa Palmer Antony Starr |
Cinematography | Jules O'Loughlin |
Edited by | Jason Ballantine |
Music by | Rosie Chase |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Hopscotch Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 89 minutes |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Box office | $1,549,441 |
Plot
Dave Flannery reluctantly vacations in Cambodia with his pregnant wife Alice, her younger sister Steph and new boyfriend Jeremy. After a night of partying, Jeremy vanishes without a trace. Dave and the women return to their lives, each bearing differing degrees of knowledge about what happened and slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together to find out what happened that night.
Dave reveals he slept with Steph on the beach. He went back to the hotel, but Alice was asleep. He goes for a walk and meets a man, who offers to take him to a small bar. Dave went and began drinking. The customers at the bar began harassing him and tried to get him to take a prostitute, but he declined. He gets angry and throws all his money at them. He tells them he doesn't want the prostitute, but will pay for her. The men drag an 8-year-old girl from the backroom. Horrified, Dave begins screaming at them. Jeremy comes out of a backroom and apologises for Dave, trying to calm the men down. The men lure Jeremy and Dave outside. Dave threatens to call the police on the men for child prostitution, but Jeremy tells Dave the men are the Vietnamese mafia. In a fight, Jeremy is stabbed to death. Dave is restrained and the men find his address. They say that if he tells anyone, they will go to his house and kill his family.
In the present, Alice gets into an argument with Dave. She goes to Steph's house and confronts her. On the way home, she gets into a car accident and is rushed to the hospital, where she prematurely gives birth to the baby. In the end, Dave tells the police the truth of Jeremy's death.
Cast
- Joel Edgerton as Dave Flannery
- Teresa Palmer as Steph McKinney
- Felicity Price as Alice Flannery
- Antony Starr as Jeremy King
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 67 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Smart, slick, and thrilling, Wish You Were Here benefits from a compelling mystery at the center of its tightly wound plot, as well as strong performances from a cast that includes Joel Edgerton."[1]
Awards and nominations
Award | Category | Subject | Result |
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AACTA Award (2nd) |
Best Film | Angie Fielder | Nominated |
Best Direction | Kieran Darcy-Smith | Nominated | |
Best Original Screenplay | Won | ||
Felicity Price | Won | ||
Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Joel Edgerton | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Actor | Antony Starr | Won | |
Best Cinematography | Jules O'Loughlin | Nominated | |
Best Editing | Jason Ballantine | Nominated | |
ACS Award | NSW & ACT Gold Award | Jules O'Loughlin | Won |
ADG Award | Best Direction in a Feature Film | Kieran Darcy-Smith | Nominated |
ASE Award | Best Editing on a Feature Film | Jason Ballantine | Nominated |
ASSG Award | Best Film Sound Design | Won | |
Best Film Sound Mixing | Won | ||
AWGIE Award | Best Original Writing | Kieran Darcy-Smith | Nominated |
Felicity Price | Nominated | ||
FCCA Awards[2] | Best Film | Angie Fielder | Won |
Best Director | Kieran Darcy-Smith | Nominated | |
Best Screenplay | Won | ||
Felicity Price | Won | ||
Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Joel Edgerton | Won | |
Best Supporting Actor | Antony Starr | Won | |
Best Supporting Actress | Teresa Palmer | Nominated | |
Best Cinematography | Jules O'Loughlin | Nominated | |
Best Editing | Jason Ballantine | Won | |
Sundance Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Kieran Darcy-Smith | Nominated |
References
- "Wish You Were Here". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- "Wish You Were Here wins Film Critics Circle of Australia awards". NewsComAu.