[FILM REVIEW] 6 FESTIVALS Review (2022)
Summary: Maxie, Summer and James share a deep bond and love for music. When James receives a devastating diagnosis, the friends throw themselves into a whirlwind of festivals in an attempt to escape reality.
Year: 2022
Cinema Release Dates: 15th July 2022 (Australia)
VOD Release Dates: Out in all regions now.
Country: Australia
Director: Macario De Souza
Screenwriter: Macario De Souza, Sean Nash
Cast: Jess B (self), B. Wise (self), Guyala Bayles (Marley), Bliss N Eso (self), Hockey Dad (self), Kobie Dee (self), Dune Rats (self), Jerome Farah (self), G Flip (self), Yasmine Honeychurch (Summer), Phil Jamieson (self), Kyuss King (Kane), Rasmus King (Maxie), Peking Duk (self), Rory Potter (James), Simon Roborgh (Craig Edwards), Ruby Fields (self), Stace Cadet (self), Briony Williams (Sue), Nils Varraine (Bunny Man), Matty Woo (Billy)
Running Time: 95 mins
Classification: MA15+ (Australia), TBC (Thailand), TBC (UK), TBC (USA)
OUR 6 FESTIVALS REVIEWS
David Griffiths ‘s 6 Festivals Review:
One of the reasons that so many music lovers fell in love with the film Almost Famous was because it made them recall the time they themselves fell in love with music. A music lover’s love of music is a sacred thing and that fact that a filmmaker managed to capture that rare feeling made it a film that will always be cherished by many. Now many music fans may just find that a new film has also found a way to capture that unique feeling.
Written and directed by Marcario De Souza (Bra Boys) 6 Festivals captures the vibe and emotions that surround every Australian music lover’s rite of passage – attending music festivals in the hot Australian summer. Actually to be fair the film goes a lot deeper than that – yes it will remind you of that first time you went to a festival on your own but it also reminds us all just how important music can be in someone’s life and how it can just about get you through anything that life can throw at you.
The film centres around three teenagers – Maxie (Rasmus King – Bosch & Rockit) who uses music to escape the horror he goes through with his home life, Summer (Yasmin Honeychurch – Back Of The Net) who dreams of becoming a musician herself so she can escape the deadbeat town they live in and James (Rory Potter – The Dressmaker) who seems to be the life of the party.
Their fun-loving ways are stopped in their tracks however when they are caught by security after sneaking into a festival that is meant to be for over 18s. As they learn the consequences for their behaviour they discover a chilling secret – James is extremely ill and there is a good chance that he won’t survive the next twelve months.
Faced with such a shocking outcome the three make a pact to attend every music festival they can and see all the artists that they have ever wanted to see. Added to that is the fact that James decides that he is going to network as much as he can so he can put on his own festival with his own select line-up and that Summer will use the experience to try and land herself a record deal – but she needs to overcome her fear of singing in public first.
It comes as little surprise to learn that Marcario De Souza himself is a musician (who performs under the name Kid Mac) and that he is also a life-long music fan with a love for music festivals. In a lot of ways 6 Festivals resembles the stunningly little-known Aussie film – One Perfect Day – which explored Australia’s rave and bush doof scene through the eyes of troubled youngsters, but at the same time it does feels like this film takes that one step further as the problems at hand here feel more natural and are things that young people of all generations have had to face or are currently going through.
The scenes between the trio of teenagers as they deal with the fact that one of them may die are so realistic that you may find yourself reduced to tears. Added to that realism is that De Souza does all he can to make sure the more important scenes of the film were actually shot at real music festivals. This was no mean feat as much of this film was shot during the pandemic but boy do those scenes make this film make the audience feel like that they are right there in the hot Australian sun.
To its credit 6 Festivals also looks at the good and bad sides of the Australian music industry and the festivals held within it. One of the monkeys on Maxie’s back is that his brother is doing all he can to discover a way to sell drugs at festivals and if that means getting his underage brother to do it than sobeit. Likewise the film also sees Summer discover that her music idol, Marley’s (newcomer Guyala Bayles)life hasn’t got better simply because she has a record deal – in fact if anything it has probably become worse.
But De Souza is a mature enough filmmaker to also show the audience the great things about music and festivals in Australia. He shows the mateship and comradery that is formed between people who have the same passion and how music can bring them together with a bond that can never be broken. He also shows that no matter how bad life can get music will always be there for you.
Aside from the well written script and the amazing acting performances – Rasmus King is Australia’s new Heath Ledger everybody – the film also has a stunning soundtrack that contains some of Australia’s best modern day artists including Dune Rats, G Flip, Ruby Fields, Peking Duk and Bliss n Eso just to name a few.6 Festivals is a must see for any music fan that grew up attending festivals with their mates. The realism and natural feel of this film sets it inside from so many of the manufactured films created about the music industry. Check it out – you won’t be disappointed.
Dave’s rating Out Of 5
Average Subculture rating Out Of 5
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