in The Australian Outback, A Father And Daughter Find The Meaning Of Family

in Australian Slang, "shiralee" Means "burden." It Also Describes How Itinerant Laborer "mac" Macauley (bryan Brown, gorillas In The Mist, Cocktail) Thinks Of His Nine-year-old Daughter, Buster (rebecca Smart, blackrock). Proud And Stubborn, Mac Ekes Out A Living--sometimes With His Fists--on The Dusty Roads Of The 1940s And ’50s Outback, With Buster In Tow. Together They Befriend A Number Of Colorful Characters, And Lily (noni Hazlehurst, little Fish), A Lovely Rancher As Maddeningly Willful As Mac. At Times Grudgingly, Mac And Buster Forge A Father-daughter Bond That Hunger And Hardship Cannot Break.

based On D’arcy Niland’s International Bestseller, the Shiralee Captures The Wry Humor And Rugged Independence Of The Australian Frontier, As Well As The Tenderness At The Heart Of A Most Unusual Family.

Based on D’Arcy Niland’s novel, The Shiralee is an earlier project of star Bryan Brown, who was also in the recently released blockbuster Australia. Set in the gorgeous, grassy Australian bush, this three-hour long saga takes a slow, subtle approach to its story, which centers around rugged individualist, Mac Macauley (Brown), and his good-natured nine-year old daughter, Buster (Rebecca Smart). Early in this miniseries, which is set in the 1940s, Macauley is on a walkabout searching for work when he happens upon a family who adopts him as their own. Here, his employer’s daughter, Lily (Noni Hazelhurst), develops a deep bond with Macauley that lasts throughout the film, even as Macauley leaves town to begin a new life with an unsavory wife during his stint as a carousing, stubborn boxer. Mid-story, Macauley and his new daughter are relative strangers, and the thrust of The Shiralee begins when he is forced to leave his home to start new wanderings with his "burden" ("shiralee" is an Aboriginal term meaning "burden") Buster. Though Macauley does have the occasional friend, he mostly goes it alone, with his daughter by his side, much to the disagreement of some who feel she needs security. When the latter half of the story sets in, Macauley is faced with poverty and a severely ill daughter. Here, his old friend, Marge (Lorna Lesley), a mother figure, steps in, and the father-daughter bond is strengthened to new heights. Each of the dramas in Macauley’s life builds incrementally to describe the hardship he endures and his commitment to his small family. Though this program is frustratingly slow-paced at times, the lush landscape on screen and the lovely score throughout lends The Shiralee a calming sensibility that is a relief from action-packed melodrama. Brown’s portrayal of such a complex character is a pleasure to experience. The Shiralee gives one a feeling, even if fictionalized, for what life in the Australian bush used to consist of, and anyone with an interest in discovering this history may enjoy a glimpse into this film’s well-rendered universe. --Trinie Dalton