IN THE WINTER DARK

James Bogle's Mad Bomber in Love was voted Best of the Fest at MIFF in 1993. The following year the film was invited to screen at the Santa Monica Film Festival, and Bogle was quickly heralded as the new director of promise in Australia. In the Winter Dark is a captivating rural thriller, based on Tim Winton's novella. The film relates the story of four people who live in a remote but beautiful valley in the Blue Mountains. Maurice and Ida have lived in the area for years; Jacob has moved there recently, while Ronnie is a flighty city slicker licking her wounds after being deserted by her boyfriend. All four are abruptly united when their lives suddenly fall under threat: something is killing the stock and wildlife. From the physical terror emerges an emotional strangulation and personal hysteria far more dangerous than the intangible menace.

The film's cast mesh perfectly to flesh out the nuances and interrelationships of characters. Brenda Blethyn (Ida) received the Best Actress award at Cannes 1996 for Secrets and Lies. Paired with veteran Australian actor Ray Barrett, their performances are seamless and grounded in the characters' small world. Following her success in 1996 with Love Serenade, Miranda Otto's rising star shines brighter and more brilliant as the young and disoriented Ronnie. The spectacular location, brought to life by cinematographer Martin McGrath, turns the Blue Mountains into the film's fifth character.

"Reading In the Winter Dark I got a sense that there was more to it than a very dark, tragic story. I could see there was a lot of subtext and richness about the characters and their relationship to the landscape, and that I could breath life into it." - James Bogle

James Bogle has directed numerous short films including the award-winning Colours of Life, The Tower, The Third Wave, Chunk and Dreamrider. His feature films include Kadaicha (1989) and Mad Bomber in Love (1993).