KID SNOW

TWO AND A HALF STARS Irish brothers run a tent-boxing show that tours Australia in the 1970s.

PERIOD DRAMA AUSTRALIA English #KIDSNOW

Starring Billy Howle, Phoebe Tonkin

In 1971, a boxing carnival is touring outback West Australia. It’s not a grand show by any means, one that's led by a pair of scrappy, has-been Irish brothers. But when you lived out the back of nowhere, you took what entertainment you could get. 

And that’s what makes KID SNOW passing interesting, this intersection between sport and circus where pretty much anything goes. Belt the other fella hard enough and you win. Tent boxing has long since stopped touring Australia (most festivals have) but it remains connected to folklore and it’s here that Paul Goldman’s film stirs up some appeal.

When it comes to hitting fellas, this is a story that treads woefully familiar ground. It’s a comeback tale, the kind where the protagonist is given a chance to settle an old score. Years ago Kid (Billy Howle) lost a fight to a man who’s now the Commonwealth champ. That loss led to self-inflicted tragedy which led him and his now crippled brother Rory (Tom Bateman) to the tent. They get by but the past still haunts them. Then Kid gets a shot at redemption by way of fighting the Champ once again. Can he win? Probably not, but the match has become a lot more complicated now that sultry Sunny (Phoebe Tonkin) is in the picture. Yeah, it’s that story.

Putting aside the narrative constraints, Goldman has crafted a vivid drama that largely brings the spectacle of tent-boxing to life. You can smell the sweat and fear that's leeched into the canvas after years of fighting. There’s appeal in visiting a time and place long gone, a culture that’s been abandoned. And as well shot and staged as this is - the production has a wonderfully dusty, haven’t washed for a week vibe - it only carries the film so far.

Heavily reliant on tropes and potted monologues, we get bogged down in a familiar tale that's centre stage while the more interesting surrounds are given passing mention. Supporting characters like Indigenous boxers Lizard (Hunter Page-Lochard) and the oddly named Lovely (Mark Coles Smith) are underdeveloped. Despite reasonable screen time, we don’t really get to know them or find out what motivates them. It’s a missed opportunity.

But we do know what motivates Kid - losing and loss - and quickly understand that Sunny has similar impulses. She’s also a mother and will do whatever it takes to protect he son. Tonkin is great in the role giving it an underlying sadness that tugs the film somewhere a little darker, raunchier. But she only gets so far searching for an escape from the burdens that weigh them down.

Which goes some way to describing the whole experience. As the pair work up the plot’s final punch to win the day, it’s hard to find an emotional connection that makes you truly care about their search or their burdens. Like Kid Snow, KID SNOW never really lands a knock out blow.

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