Wish You Were Here (2013)

It's difficult to like a movie where the majority of the main characters are complete dim-wits. Take case in point, Australian movie "Wish you were here" directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith. As has often become the case the actors seem competent and believable in their emotions and reactions. However script and filmmakers have the lead triangle of characters, especially Joel Edgerton's "Dave" as getting what they deserve. Are we supposed to feel sympathy for tourists who fail to protect themselves in foreign lands. Late in the movie, Edgerton is trying to vent his sadness, he wails and sobs to his wife, but merits nothing but disgust. He is solely to blame and a complete fool. Anyway, additionally soundtrack music was obtrusive and grating. This is another lost story that had potential. Not recommended 5/10

This film had a great deal of promise but fell short in my opinion. Excellent acting by the cast, mainly the performance of Joel Edgerton who portrays Dave the grief tortured, terrified family man superbly. The cast carried this film.The plot was solid, but I think the film suffers from the choppiness of the telling. The film opens with about 10 minutes of the vacation to Asia where the catalyst for the film originates could've been longer to eliminate some of the flashbacks, while still maintaining the mysterious integrity of the story. By the end of the film you have it figured out that the mystery around Jeremy's disappearance lacks optimism, but there is still shock factor in the reveal.Overall, solid movie, very well acted…just takes too long to get to the end which could've been improved upon by a slight difference in the way the story was told.

"Something happened the night of the party, after you went to sleep." Steph McKinney (Palmer) and her boyfriend Jeremy go on a vacation to Cambodia with her sister and her husband Dave (Edgerton). They are having a good time laying on the beach and relaxing. When they return home only three of them make the trip. Now all three are trying to figure out where Jeremy is and why he didn't come back. Only one person knows the truth. This is another perfect example of a movie where the idea is much more exciting then the actual movie. While the movie isn't that bad it is pretty slow moving up until the last 20 min. Until then the movie jumps around a bit and makes it a little hard to follow for the first half. The acting is very good but nothing really seemed to happen for most of the movie. Again, the last quarter is good but getting to that point is a little bit of a struggle. Overall, a movie that starts off very slow but worth sticking with to see the ending. I give it a B-.

I was working in Phnom Penh and saw this movie at The Flicks Community Movie House. For me, it perfectly captures both the light and the darkness of modern Cambodia. Cambodia is Eden -- lush, green, magical, innocent. And the opening montage of shots in and around Phnom Penh perfectly captures the pure joy that foreigners can often feel as they experience this wondrous place. But the story of Eden also contains the fall. And what tourists (like the 3 Australians in the film) don't always get, is that Cambodia is still healing, still recovering from the wars (2nd Indochina, followed by Pol Pot, followed by 19 years of civil war). And just beneath the surface of paradise, there can be real danger especially for those who don't know what they are dealing with. I walked out of the theater (into the blasting heat of Phnom Penh) grateful that someone understood and was able to capture through film the complex energies of this moment in this place. (Even though more than half of the movie takes place in Australia, this is very much a movie about Cambodia -- as seen through the eyes of foreigners.)This was also the first time I've seen Joel Edgerton in anything -- and he's a brilliant actor I think (I'm told he's been a big deal in Australia for a while). I just saw Edgerton in Zero Dark Thirty in a small role. I also rented (bought?) Animal Kingdom on iTunes because he was in it and he's great in that too. I'm hoping Wish You Were Here gets a theatrical release in the U.S. If not, I'm hoping it will get a release soon on iTunes and Amazon.com. I've probably checked both places 10 times hoping it will be available but no release yet. I plan to recommend this movie to friends and family (in spite of the very intense subject matter) just because it captures the energy of the place that is so hard to put into words. Your mileage may vary. But this movie hit me at just the right time and 6 months later, I'm scouring the internet trying to find a way to see it again.