Gold (2022 film)

Gold
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anthony Hayes
Written by	Anthony Hayes Polly Smyth
Produced by	Anthony Hayes John Schwarz Michael Schwarz
Starring	Zac Efron Susie Porter Anthony Hayes
Cinematography	Ross Giardina
Edited by	Sean Lahiff
Music by	Antony Partos
Production companies	Deeper Water Films Rogue Star Pictures South Australian Film Corporation Screen Australia Stan
Distributed by	Madman Entertainment
Release date	13 January 2022 (2022-01-13)
Country	Australia
Language	English
Box office	$2,741[1]

Gold is a 2022 Australian survival thriller film directed by Anthony Hayes. It stars Zac Efron, Susie Porter, and Anthony Hayes. The film was released in theaters on January 13, 2022.

Plot[]

In a dystopian near future with social and environmental breakdown, two unnamed individuals discover an enormous nugget of gold in an inhospitable desert. They try to extract it using basic tools and their truck, but fail. One agrees to leave to find excavation equipment, while the other (Efron) stays to guard the claim. The main plot turns around Efron's long wait for his partner, in communication briefly by radio, and his struggle to survive with diminishing supplies and while enduring storms, lack of food and water, and an encounter with Susie Porter's character, 'The Stranger'. Efron kills Porter. The dogs kill Efron. Hayes returns for the gold but is shot through the heart with an arrow by an unknown person.

Cast[]

• Zac Efron - Virgil
• Susie Porter - The Stranger
• Anthony Hayes - Keith
• Andreas Sobik - Outpost attendant

Production[]

In November 2020 it was announced that Zac Efron had signed on to the film, which was being sold at AFM by Altitude Entertainment with CAA co-repping the domestic USA territory. The film was to be directed by Anthony Hayes, who would also star, from a screenplay he co-wrote alongside Polly Smyth. And produced by John Schwarz, Michael Schwarz and Anthony Hayes.^{[citation needed]}

Later, it was announced, Susie Porter had joined the cast of the film, with the film set to play on Stan in Australia as a Stan Original with Stan backing the film, after Madman Entertainment theatrically distribute in Australia.^[2][3]

Principal photography began in November 2020 in outback South Australia, in the Flinders Ranges and Leigh Creek.^[4] The film includes a desert sandstorm scene, for which fans and sand were transported to the desert location. However a real sandstorm began in the region and the actors agreed to shoot in it instead. Efron also broke a bone in his hand halfway through the shoot, but concealed it from the crew to avoid stalling production.^[5]

Release[]

In June 2021, Screen Media Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film in a bidding war.^[6] In June 2021, Altitude Films announced it had sold the film to all but two territories around the world.^[7]

Reception[]

In Australia, the film grossed $2,741 from ten theaters in its opening weekend.^[8] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 6 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.0/10.^[9] A 3/5 star review in The Guardian praised the cinematography and Efron's performance, but found the plot sparse.^[10]

References[]

External links[]

• Gold at IMDb