The Sum of Us

Harry Mitchell is a widowed Sydney bus driver. His son Jeff, in his twenties, is gay, and his father has no problem with it. If anything he supports it too hard: when Jeff brings someone home, Harry opens the conversation, gives the advice, supplies the enthusiasm. For Jeff, that eagerness is the actual problem. Meanwhile Harry is looking for someone himself. Adapted from David Stevens's 1990 play, the film was directed jointly by Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton, with Stevens writing the screenplay. One device carries over from the stage: father and son periodically turn to the camera and address the audience directly. Jack Thompson plays Harry and Russell Crowe, before his international career, plays Jeff. At the Film Critics Circle of Australia awards it won Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. Who it's for: Viewers who like father and son stories, warm queer comedy of the 1990s, and Australian cinema. Who it's not for: The stage origins show, the camera stays in tight rooms, and the last section turns to melodrama. The conflict also resolves too easily.