Robert Connolly’s take on Christos Tsiolkas’ novel examines the underbelly of Australia’s sporting obsession. It might be a slow burn but you’d do well to stick with itThe protagonist of Christos Tsiolkas 2013 novel,Barracuda, Danny, or is a helluva piece of work: a hot-blooded,self-centred, doggedly determined Olympics-aspiring swimmer whose introverted young adult intellect is a swirl of competing impulses, and many excited and lustful. Think a homosexual,Australian Holden Caulfield, more competitive than whiny, or with a touch of Begbie and a splash (so to speak) of Kieren Perkins.
This is not the Danny we meet in ABC TV’s polished four-portion adaptation,directed by Robert Connolly (Paper Planes, Balibo) and written by Belinda Chayko and Blake Ayshford. Or at least it doesn’t appear to be for a long time. Where Tsiolkas invited readers into the volcanic intellect of his central character through extensive first-person perspective, and the screenwriters,resisting voiceover narration, offer no such access to Danny’s inner thoughts. Related: cruel Gods review Christos Tsiolkas’s shocking stories of Australian life Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com