Little Oberon (2005 TV Movie) User Reviews

good.

[witty_pseudonym · 6/10 · 19 September 2005]

This was a good little television feature, which I viewed last night. As a film generally this wasn't so great, however, as a made-for-television film it was actually quite top-notch. Some characters tended to suffer from becoming stereotyped, and often acting in supporting/extra roles was quite dull, much to be expected from a Television film. It was enjoyable to watch, however, as it was quite well paced and captured my attention for the duration of the film. I found the religious theme perhaps became an oxymoron; the young girl seemingly turning to Christianity while embracing her more "wiccan" psychic visions and mother. Perhaps a little more thought towards aspects of believability would have made this film better, along with better directing.

A fantastic film!

[jade_a_brat · 8/10 · 27 September 2006]

This was a fantastic film, I was lucky enough to see them filming in Marysville, a gorgeous town just 20 minutes away from the snow at Lake Mountain. Some of the scene were also shot in Healsville as I specifically recognize that graffiti train in the background he-he. I hope it comes out on DVD some time soon!

If you ever get the chance to stop over at Marysville, I strongly recommend the town as it is just so cute! Be sure to stay the night, maybe at Falls Cottage? As I go there very regularly!!! The lolly shop in the town is great and make sure you try the Dutch Chalk Licorice!

Have a good day, From Jade

Could have been better

[history_girl · 6/10 · 13 October 2005]

For starters, this was well acted for the most part. The casting was done well and the thought behind the movie was interesting and draws you in - so why the 6 stars? The main issue I had with this was the lack of some characters who had been advertised what I felt should have been a larger part. Pan (the guy on the motorbike who had many names) was a great character, yet totally underused in the movie.

I found the story got bogged down in some parts and in other parts the story didn't fully explain itself and just moved on. Also, everything had to have the neat and tidy ending which I thought let the good points of this movie down.

Excellent TV-drama with an exceptional cast.

[aliens_love_maree · 9/10 · 19 September 2005]

Excellent TV-drama with an exceptional cast. Sigrid Thornton as cancer-stricken Lola Green has less screen time than she deserves - her presence is spectacular. The stilted relationship between the proud and unapproachable Lola and her daughter Georgie (Tasma Walton) is played to perfection and produces some of the most bittersweet moments of Little Oberon. Little twists along the way add to the mystery and keeps the plot from dragging into the average small-town story. There are some unexpected scare-scenes that will give you a shock! Following in the footsteps of The Alice, Little Oberon's courage to step away from the conventional drama format into the realm of modern fantasy is a welcome relief in a flat year for Aussie shows.

How Good is this?

[johnb-50 · 10/10 · 18 September 2005]

I have been waiting for a long time for an Australian drama that tells a great story but isn't bogged down by trying to be typically Australian. In "Little Oberon" I think I've found it. What an interesting cast of characters and the pilot movie only left me wanting to find out more about these people and how their lives unfold. My personal favorite's was the character of Natasha played by Brittany Byrnes. Not only is she beautiful but acted the role with great sensitivity and confidence. For me at least it was her show. I hope, like 'The Alice' last year that this drama is serialised so that we can learn more about this quirky and quaint village of Little Oberon and the people who inhabit it.

10/10 Aussie Movie

[krissy_belle · 10/10 · 18 September 2005]

What a fantastic movie! Georgie (Tasma Walton) and her daughter Natasha (Brittany Byrne) come back to the small town where Georgie grew up, to find Georgie's mother, Lola (Sigrid Thornton) dying of Cancer, and a mystery disappearance thats over 15 years old. This movie beautifully combines Australian humour with touching drama and a good old fashioned 'who done it!' This all star cast that had me guessing right up to the very end (and after!) I thought Brittany did a fantastic job at the 'non conventional' TV teenager, and brought reality to the character - not everyone has a tantrum about not knowing who their father is.

This is a definite must see if you've lost faith in the Australian Film Industry.

Little Oberon: Australia's Best Film Yet

[eternaldarknesss · 18 September 2005]

Just watched Little Oberon this evening. My family and I after watching Massive Nature found this movie on channel nine. My sister insisted it was about witches but my father said it was about a women with cancer, no one really knew what it was. Turns out they were both right. Generally I'm not one for Australian TV, it bores me to tears. Except for a show thats on SBS or ABC, cant remember exactly, but its about a group of medical lawyers. I think its a pretty good Aussie TV show. We decided to watch Little Oberon with an open mind, not knowing what to expect. I think the three main girls in the movie Georgie, Natasha and Lola were really good, especially Brittany Byrnes who played Natasha. For some reason she really caught my eye so I decided to do a little research about her, which lead me to where I am now actually. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for her other movies. I think it was really good how the movie combined the supernatural theme with the rest of the movie, I've always been one for the "magical" movie^_^ However, I really didn't see the point of the devil guy, cant remember his name, Griffin..?? or the scene with him and the naked people... Seemed pointless to me. Oh I loved it when we 'find out' who Natasha's real Dad is!! The whole taping of the spoon on the cup, brilliant I thought!! I also think the part after that, when Natasha finds the bones of Simon in the river is a really good ending. Although the bones would not have stayed in tact like that after 15 years, but still makes for a good ending to the mystery. Was sad that the doctor committed suicide over the cliff where they must have thrown Simons body 15 years previously. But touching that he still feels the pain of what happened and threw himself over the same cliff they threw Simon... Overall, we were glad that we sat down to watch Little Oberon. Its a good mix of drama, mystery, old romance and magic. If you missed it then I strongly suggest that the next time you get the chance to watch it, please do!!! I hope other people give their opinion on this great Aussie film as I've not found any yet. Thanks for reading my babble everyone^_^ --Steven

One of the best Australian movies I've seen

[sinead-13 · 10/10 · 18 September 2005]

Thats right, one of the best Australian movies I've seen! This is what Australian TV drama is capable of. In this wonderful telemovie Little Oberon, a gentle mystery-thriller centered on three women in one family-

Tasma Walton plays Georgie Green a free-spirited hairdresser/witch, Brittany Byrnes plays her Gothic teenage daughter Natasha while Sigrid Thornton plays an their estranged grandmother/mother who is dying of cancer. This is a captivating movie, that has the right mix of mystery, murder and magic and is set in the sleepy mountain town of Little Oberon (It was shot in Marysville and Mount Macedon) I recommend this to everyone and anyone interested!

great movie

[bluelozzabelle · 10/10 · 25 July 2006]

this movie was fantastic. i had a great time on set. i ran out to buy the soundtrack as it has some great music. i found the movie really interesting and the ending was great. the characters were very well played out and had amazing personalities. sigrid thornton did a great job and played her role very well.the whole story line was really capturing.i couldn't stop watching it. i was so eager to see what was going to happen and what the mystery was.i cant wait for it to come out on DVD so i can watch it again. the sets were great and marysville is a beautiful place. it really suited the movie. each character was believable and acted out really well. it was nominated for a logie award.well done to everyone. you did a great job. hopefully it can be made into a series!!!

Excellent work, especially for a TV movie

[soundchaysa · 10/10 · 4 November 2011]

I was lucky enough to stumble across this one night in Sweden whilst channel hopping. TV movies usually leave me cold but this was very different.

Being largely Wiccan myself, I enjoyed the story line and found it easy to empathise with both Mum and daughter but my praise doesn't end there. All the cast do a splendid job in their roles. Tasma Walton oozes sensuality mixed with a confident cheekiness making her utterly desirable.

Sigrid Thornton wonderfully underplays the cancer-stricken mother with n hint of sentimentalism that Hollywood would probably have told her to do.

But for me - and this in NO way detracts from the other actors - the most outstanding performance is by Brittany Byrnes playing Natasha. There are good actors .. and then there are those who ARE the character they are playing in totality. Very few manage this. I'm thinking of Cate Blanchett, Daniel Day Lewis and Mercedes Ruehl.

This category of actor is a small one but I think Brittany Byrnes belongs there if Little Oberon is a typical example of her acting.