Dirt Music (2020) | Film Review

Romantic dalliances captured on celluloid tend to lean heavily into the tried-and-true tropes of the genre: boy meets girl, they fall for each other, odd contrivance forces them apart, one of them realizes their error, gives a dramatic apology, roll credits. Capitalizing on the lush landscape of Western Australian, Dirt Music eschews these expectations and takes us along as two souls embark on a journey of love and discovery.

Georgie Jutland (Kelly Macdonald) is an elusive free spirit, trapped in the confines of her own poor choices in the small Australian fishing port of White Point. Holed up in the Oceanside estate of local fishing legend and her lover, Jim (David Wenham), Georgie raises Jim’s kids while silently suffering a life of longing for something better. Something freer.

Then along comes traumatized musician Lu Fox (Garrett Hedlund), an isolated loner Georgie randomly encounters while on one of her many late-night skinny dips. Fate quickly brings Georgie and Lu together before circumstances force them apart. What ensues is a tale of two hearts searching for their place in the world, and ultimately asks if love is truly enough to fill the recesses of one’s heart.

Based on Tim Winton’s novel, Dirt Music – a title that reflects the folksy musical style Lu played with his brother – is a bit too quick to plop our characters together in their illicit romantic tryst, and still almost immediately after tears them away from each other. It is a drastic turn from typical fare, and makes for a fairly engaging change-of-pace for audiences who feel dramas of this type have grown a bit too predictable. Georgie and Lu fall for each other fast, true. But this story is also about the journey of these two souls, desperate to find themselves and chase their own desires before succumbing to one more potential misstep in a life riddled with them.

Kelly Macdonald bares a tough burden as Georgie’s unfaithfulness occurs rather unexpectedly, causing the audience to debate on who’s side we should be on, Georgie or Jim’s. Macdonald tackles her character straight forward and through simple body language conveys the internal struggle Georgie suffers with on a daily basis, one so many of in the audience can easily relate to. A mundane life brought about by one too many radically impulsive decisions, incessantly seeking aspiration or meaning. Georgie is the dreamer in all of us.

Garrett Hedlund’s Lu, on the other hand, is almost too easy to root for. A former musician who cast music aside after his brother and sister-in-law died in a tragic car accident, which also took away his inner light; Lu’s niece, Bird. His horrific backstory is laid out throughout the film as his relationship with Georgie – and the consequences of such – forces Lu to abandon his love to live off the land and seek inner peace. Hedlund carefully evokes the pit of despair as he carries us along on Lu’s quest for tranquility.

Though the film could stand to be tightened up a bit in the third act, there is simply no mistaking that director Gregor Jordan completely understands how to faithfully capture the majestic beauty of Western Australia. Every single vantage point emerges as a vastly beautiful location that demands to be immediately added to every traveler’s bucket list. If anything, catch Dirt Music to truly appreciate the sweeping views of Australia’s fabled countryside.

Dirt Music puts our characters together a bit too quickly and then takes a tad too long to resolve their relationship, but there is no mistaking that this is a film with a song in its heart. Macdonald and Hedlund deliver poetic performances, and Jordan’s camera imbues every breathtaking vista with enough character to satisfy every leisurely daydreamer. Occasionally fumbling through the chords, this remains a film that takes a few chances and ultimately hits all the right notes.