It has been about two weeks since the romantic comedy filmed in the Northern Territory hit Australian cinemas.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rivaling top box office movies filmed overseas, critics have so far loved Top End Wedding - for the most part.
"Top End Wedding isn't just a rare example of an Australian rom-com. It's quite possibly the first foray into the genre from an Indigenous perspective," senior entertainment writer at The Sydney Morning Herald, Karl Quinn said.
But it might be the sheer beauty of the Territory landscape that pulls the film through.
"Less snappy and less consistent than (director) Blair's similarly cheery, culture-crossing domestic smash The Sapphires, his latest is unlikely to match that film's success locally or internationally," film critic for US Variety, Guy Lodge writes.
"Still, it's easy, attractive comfort viewing that the Northern Territory tourist bureau may as well claim as its own promotional video: Even when the storytelling stalls, the landscape - from the verdant, unspoiled shores of the Tiwi Islands to the craggy, coppery majesty of Katherine Gorge, shot in pristine perma-sunlight by Eric Murray Lui - gives a diverting star turn."
Starring, co-directed and co-written by Miranda Tapsell - Territory born and bred - the film is doing wonders for the Australian film industry, writes Doug Jamieson for the Au Review.
He goes as far as saying the film is the first top quality rom-com to be produced locally for 25 years.
"Standing as both a gorgeous love letter to Indigenous culture and an utterly charming tale of love and family, this film may prove to be exactly what the Australian cinema landscape is aching for."
As an important moment for representation and inclusivity in Australian cinema, Top End Wedding is the gift that keeps on giving.
- Doug Jamieson
Shining a light on Indigenous culture, and the beautiful Territory landscape, the film is a "remarkable tourism commercial for the Northern Territory", Jamieson writes.
"With every fibre of this film, you can feel Tapsell and director Wayne Blair's deep connection to Indigenous culture.
"The cinematography of Eric Murray Lui (in his feature film debut, no less) is a genuinely stunning sight to behold.
"From the red-rock wonders of the Kakadu National Park to the untouched splendours of the Tiwi Islands, Lui captures the grandeur of the Top End with deft skill.
"As Lauren sails on a boat down a river slicing through the Katherine Gorge, it's hard not to gasp at the striking imagery Lui has managed to elicit from one of this nation's most beloved natural wonders."
The Guardian's film critic Luke Buckmaster was a little more fault-finding, calling out the writers on their "shaggy plotlines with long, dangling threads".
More Reading:
"The film, much like the characters, seems engaged in a constant state of finding itself. Like many well-made but unexceptional romcoms, Top End Wedding is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food: reasonably satisfying but hardly adventurous."
The performances, however, are all "spot on", he writes.
"Particularly Tapsell's, whose presence is a combination of likable and headstrong."
Top End Wedding opened in cinamas on May 2, and will be screened under the stars this weekend at Nitmiluk National Park as part of the The 2019 Northern Territory Travelling Film Festival.
Top End Wedding is only playing at three locations on the tour, Nitmiluk National Park, Tiwi Islands and Edith Falls.
The event starts at 6pm at the Jetty Lawns, Nitmiluk National Park.
To purchase tickets and view the full program, visit the website here.
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.