The Independent (2007 film)

The Independent is an Australian independent mockumentary film released in 2007, produced by . It chronicles the story of Marty Browning (Lee Mason), a man who runs for state parliament in a Victorian by-election to save his family farm, backed by a shady businessman (Tony Nikolakopoulos). He runs as an independent, but under the banner of "The Independent Party"; his plan is to form policies by asking members of the public for their opinions, thereby providing a direct public voice in parliament. (A similar purpose is held by the real-life Australian party Senator On-Line.)

The film was shot in 2006, and released to a small number of cinemas on 8 November 2007 in the lead up to the 2007 Australian federal election. A national cinema launch is planned for April/May 2008.^[1]

Critical response[]

Critical reception to the film was positive, with good reviews from many high-profile Australian film critics and an average rating of around three stars. A frequent criticism was that the film seems uncertain of its tone, wavering between comedy and drama,^[2] but overall the film was considered successfully endearing, with some reviewers praising the filmmakers' decision not to merely go for laughs.^[3] Margaret Pomeranz found the ending "problematic",^[4] but along with most other reviewers singled out Mason for his "outstanding" performance; James Brown of FILMINK Magazine described Marty as "the most charming protagonist since Kenny".^[5]

See also[]

• Cinema of Australia

References[]

External links[]

• The Independent - official Apocalypse Films page
• ABC Radio interview - John Studley and Andrew O'Keefe interviewed on 774 ABC
• The Independent at IMDb

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