Malcolm

Nadia Tass's 1986 Australian film is about a man who is a genius with machines and cannot communicate with people. Malcolm built himself a small tram while working for the tramways and was dismissed for it; to pay the rent he takes in a lodger. The man who arrives is Frank, just out of prison, with his girlfriend Judith. Seeing the remote-controlled contraptions Malcolm makes, Frank proposes using them in robberies and the three take on increasingly ambitious jobs. The film draws its humour from the inventions; the car that splits in two, the radio-controlled rubbish bin and the rest were actually built and filmed without trickery. The story does not take the crime seriously and the tone stays light throughout. It was the most awarded Australian film of its year. Who it's for: viewers who like gentle comedy and Australian cinema of the eighties. Who it's not for: anyone expecting tension; the film never makes the danger felt.