As far as we in Campbelltown are concerned, Christmess isn’t just another Christmas film.
After seeing the film last Saturday night at a special screening in the theatre of the Campbelltown arts centre, it was weird that we drove past the blonde brick house featured in Christmess.
You know the one: a perfectly normal house but one that sits all alone and is surrounded by the arts centre, a fitness centre, Quondong, the heritage building that doubles as the local tourist information centre, Rydges hotel and the Catholic club.
In Christmess, it serves as the half way house for the two recovering drug and alcohol addicts and their sponsor who star in the film – Chris Flint, (Steve Le Marquand), Joy (Hannah Joy), and Nick (Darren Gilshenan) (pictured above).
I am not going to give the story and how it ends away.
What I will do is repeat what I told Daniel Fenech, Campbelltown born and bred, and producer of the film via his company, Brick Studios: “It’s a pretty good story, mate, well done.’’
That’s because what I want to focus here is that it’s not often you go to the movies and watch a film which shows parts of your own neck of the woods.
And that’s what Christmess does, with so many recognisable parts of Campbelltown, from the Beer Shed to Oz Funland.
This week, as the film opened nationally to some very good reviews, one or two South West Voice readers asked me why isn’t Christmess being shown in any Campbelltown cinemas.
I don’t know about the Macarthur Square cinema, but I can tell you the new owners of Dumaresq Street were offered an opportunity regarding screening Christmess.
It was turned down, unfortunately.
But I agree with my readers: it would be lovely if the people of Campbelltown were given the chance to see a film made right here in a local cinema.
It would be just about the best present possible.
It would be so great to see this movie in our own local independent cinema, and I fear that cinema management has lost an awesome opportunity in deciding not to show it, and perhaps also has lost some community spirit.