Australia (2008)

The plot of Australia is, like Moulin Rouge, very simple, in my opinion: On the brink of WW2, Lady Ashley (Nicole Kidman) from England goes to North Australia because she thinks her husband is having an affair with one or two locals. She finds he has told her the truth, but when she arrives he is already dead, murdered. She fires her administrator Fletcher (David Wenham) for stealing, and sells her livestock to the army, beating the cattle baron Carney. She falls in love with the drover (Hugh Jackman) and adopts Nullah (Brandon Walters), a half-breed boy. Their love is put to a test when the Japanese planes start to drop bombs.

Not many director can make a wonderful movie from a simple story. You can trust Baz Luhrmann to polish it maximally. Visual effects are used very well, helped by the wonderful editing.

The story is narrated by Nullah, who would be one of the stolen generation, if not for his mother and Mrs Boss/Lady Ashley. Well, he is stolen for a while and brought to the Mission Island. The character Fletcher is described as a very evil man. First he murdered Lord Ashley, then we see him as a thief, threatens his own son and his mistress, almost kills Lady Ashley and her group when they are delivering the livestock to Darwin, murders Carney, and in the end, tries to kill his own son again. I thought that after the ball when Lady Ashley is reunited with the drover the movie ends, but it doesn't. I don't like the argument between Lady Ashley and the drover about Nullah.