Greetings again from the darkness. "What made him do it?" That's the question we always ask after a mass shooting. Rarely does any answer make much sense. Director Justin Kurzel and his TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG (2019) screenwriter Shaun Grant join forces in collaboration again for a story based on the man responsible for the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania. It was the worst lone gunman mass shooting in Australian history with 35 killed and 23 injured. The filmmakers tread lightly here and never mention the shooter's name, though the film's title is a backwards hint. Their film is an attempt to answer that question we always ask.

Opening with archival news footage from 1979 in a burn unit, where a young boy has been injured by fireworks happily proclaims he will continue the fun that fireworks bring. We then flash-forward to a young man (presumably the same) setting off fireworks in his parents' backyard as the neighbor yells at him to stop. His weathered mother (two-time Oscar nominated Judy Davis) puffs on a cigarette while looking on with a feeling of resignation. The young man is Nitram (though his parents never call him by name) and is played by Caleb Landry Jones, in his most off-kilter and disturbing role yet. His mom is fed up with him, though she attempts to get him on track, while his father (Anthony LaPaglia) is more reserved and forgiving of the boy they have raised - one who not only has no direction in life, but has social and likely mental issues.

Nitram's long, stringy hair constantly provides cover for eyes that rarely look up. His world transforms one day when he asks a local recluse if he can mow her yard. Helen (played by Essie Davis, who is married to director Kurzel, and was fantastic in THE BABADOOK) takes a liking to him, and the two loners form an unconventional relationship where the wealthy woman buys him gifts, and offers him a home and what may be his first ever friend. Of course, this causes much consternation for his parents, as they carry an undefined concern about their son's stability.

A dramatic event causes yet another shift in the young man's life, and it allows the further exploration of how the world can become unbearable for such a person. A separate event results in an unwelcome change for dad, and it's an event that certainly plays a part in putting Nitram on the deadly path. Nitram as a misfit is also on display through his interactions with a local surfer, and it's at this point where the film shifts into commentary on gun control laws and the ease with which restrictions can be evaded. It's a strange tonal shift, but for a mass murder movie that doesn't show murders, we can at least understand the approach.

The four main actors are consummate professionals and always bring realism and interest to their roles. Here, Caleb Landry Jones delivers a performance that is both terrifying and empathetic. He of course appeared in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (2017),and I've been following his career since I first noticed him as one of the bike-riding boys near the end of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007). While the film attempts to answer the original question, "What made him to it?", perhaps many tragic scenarios could be avoided if we could sooner answer, "What's wrong with you?" Depression, mental illness, gun control, and parental frustration are all prominent here. Filmmaker Kurzel ends the film with some startling details and statistics on Australia's National Firearms Agreement.

"Nitram" is a Thriller movie in which we follow some events before the 1996 Port Arthur massacre on Tasmania that present how this massacre happened and what led to it.

I found this movie very interesting because showed us step by step the way to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre on Tasmania and made us understand the reason behind it and the importance of some measures that established after that. The direction which was made by Justin Kurzel was very good and he presented very well this sensitive subject from a different perspective. The interpretation of Caleb Landry Jones who played as Nitram was simply amazing and he made the difference on this movie. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Judy Davis' who played as Mum, Essie Davis' who played as Helen and Anthony LaPaglia's who played as Dad. Lastly, I have to say that "Nitram" is an amazing thriller and I strongly recommend you to watch it.

Tackling one of the rawest subject matters in Australia history, Nitram is an unnerving yet delicately made and acted drama exploring the life of infamous Tasmanian mass murderer Martin Bryant, a man who is responsible for the cold blooded and nightmarish Port Arthur massacre of 1996.

An incident that shocked the usually peaceful lands down under and forever changed the gun laws of the nation, Bryant's horrific act isn't an incident many would care to revisit but thanks to the work of director Justin Kurzel and his awards worthy leading man Caleb Landry Jones, Nitram never veers into territory that is aimed at pure shock value or an exploration that tries to offer a sympathetic few to what made Bryant into the man he became.

Refraining from venturing deep into the actual incident itself or the aftermath of Bryant's actions, Nitram (the name used sparingly throughout the film for Jones's character) is about as delicate as a film could be about the life of a tormented and lonely soul, one who was clearly unable to live an everyday life with his parents (played well by Australian icons Judy Davis and a nearly unrecognizable Anthony LaPaglia) and then in his friendship with fellow recluse Helen (played by Essie Davis).

Similar in style and tone to Kurzel's most revered work, his exploration of another dark chapter in Australia's history, Snowtown, Nitram is an unflashy film built around its carefully constructed dialogue and everyday humans that for all intents and purposes are battling too stay afloat mentally and physically but while Kurzel finds himself back in form after the misguided Assassin's Creed and the rather disappointing True History of the Kelly Gang, the work of Landry Jones in his most difficult role to date should go down as one of the best in an Australian production in the last decade.

Often relegated to key bit parts in memorable films like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Get Out or The Florida Project, it might not be a joyful role but Jones is a revelation in his portrayal of Bryant as the Texan born actor morphs into the skin of a character that wouldn't have been easy to come to terms, with the talented performer deserving of his Cannes Film Festival Best Actor win earlier this year.

Some may wonder no matter what at why exactly Nitram needed too be made but while it will undoubtedly be a film some need to avoid watching, Kurzel has created the Australian film of the year with a carefully considered and haunting examination of a human soul lost beyond repair.

Final Say -

It's not easy viewing and may be too real and raw for some but Nitram manages to tackle an extremely controversial subject matter in a masterful way and features a career defining performance from Caleb Landry Jones.

4 1/2 surfboards out of 5.