imageMany of us would find it hard to get excited about the world of long-haul truck driving. But it is within this world of long hours, temperamental expensive auto-machinery and chauvinism, that director, David Caesar grounds his modern fable. Prime Mover is a hugely likeable film weaving the real with the imaginary, testing out the phrase, ‘be careful what you wish for’ on its sweet and ingenuous protagonists.
Set in Dubbo, NSW, Prime Mover follows Thomas (Michael Dorman) a dreamer, as he meets Melissa (Emily Barclay) and enters into the deep end of truck ownership. Starting the film as an employee at his father’s truck depot, Thomas aspires to be his own boss, controlling his own destiny. But Thomas is capable of making incredibly bad decisions. His story shows how even the most reasonable of dreams can be corrupted by those wanting to take advantage of enthusiasm and youth.
The film’s success is largely due to its casting. Australian heavyweights provide great supporting performances: William McInnes as the gruff truck boss, Phil; Lynette Curran as the motherly loan-shark, Mrs Boyd, who likes ‘making people’s dreams come true’ and Jeanette Cronin as Melissa’s sharp-tongued mother. But the heart of Caesar’s film is the hugely watchable partnership of Dorman and Barclay (who played opposite each other in 2006’s Suburban Mayhem). Caesar gives the couple a credible love story, with the actors bringing chemistry to the romance.
imageclick here to read my full review at Onya
