Dirt Music

It's not necessary to read Winton's novel to realize that this adaptation doesn't live up to the award-winning work that's become the pride of Western Australia. For starters, director Gregor Jordan's adaptation has some noticeable plot holes and questionable motivations. It makes assertions it never backs up, and it introduces a character who seems to have an air of menace but then never pays it off. That may be because the movie veers significantly from the source material. One of the biggest head-scratchers, however, is true to the original text. Georgie and Lu upend their lives for their sexual relationship, but it never feels like love. So, why? There's no explanation, and while the course of human history shows that certainly people have lost their families for a night or two of indiscretion, Georgie and Lu take the risk to new levels.

Crisp cinematography allows viewers to get lost in Western Australia and absorbed in its vast beauty. It provides an escape where your senses are awakened: You can almost feel the ocean breeze and smell the fishermen. That's all likely to be lost on teens, but the message -- if there really is one -- may not. Both Georgie and Lu are tormented by the pragmatic choices they made of their own accord, providing a clear example that taking the easy route isn't necessarily easy emotionally. While Dirt Music doesn't live up to its potential, there is, at least, a nugget of value.