Writer-director Justin Kurzel (True History of the Kelly Gang) doesn't take on the easiest assignments. Nitram, his cool-headed 2021 portrait of Martin Bryant (Heaven Knows What's Caleb Landry Jones), the deeply troubled young man behind Australia's most deadly shooting, represents the ultimate expression of that tendency. Some filmmakers just can't resist challenging material, though Kurzel proves equal to the task.
Since he was a boy, teasingly called "Nitram" by classmates, Martin had been fascinated by fireworks and air rifles. Even after a fireworks injury that landed him in the hospital, he can’t resist the lure of danger. His weary parents (Judy Davis and Anthony LaPaglia in heartbreaking form) do what they can, but Martin’s intellectual and emotional deficiencies make college, a career, an apartment—even a driver's license—an impossibility.
Kurzel captures Martin's life in Port Arthur, Tasmania as he tries to connect with others, misreads social cues, and gets into trouble. A search for lawn mowing jobs leads him to Helen (The Babadook's Essie Davis, deglamorized into unrecognizability), a Mikado-obsessed Miss Havisham-type with a herd of dogs and a hefty trust fund. As a token of friendship, she gifts him a new Volvo. Soon after, he moves into her mansion. "He'll be back. No one can live with that boy but us," sighs Mrs. Bryant.
Sadly, the sojourn with Helen won't last, but not because she can't live with him. It's the first of two seriously destabilizing losses. Then, when he inherits a fortune, he spends thousands on military-grade weaponry, becoming obsessed with target practice. None of this plays out in a melodramatic manner, but the message is clear: he's found something he's good at.
Taking inspiration from the 1996 Dunblane massacre, in which 17 people lost their lives, Martin would end up killing 35, injuring 23, and receiving 35 life sentences plus 1,652 years (Kurzel refrains from any depictions of murder, trial, or incarceration). Martin's rampage inspired swiftly-implemented national legislation designed to prevent similar atrocities.
Movies about mass killers often focus on familial or institutional failures that pushed unstable characters over the edge. Much like Gus Van Sant's Elephant, a fictional recreation of the moments leading up to the Columbine massacre, Kurzel takes a more subjective approach. It's possible that there were individuals and institutions that could have done more, but a 28-year-old with a history of erratic behavior never should have had such easy access to an army’s worth of guns and ammunition.
If it's hard to sympathize with him, that doesn't seem to be Kurzel's intent. When Martin shares a fleeting, friendly moment with a surfer, there’s a sense that Jamie (Sean Keenan), handsome and athletic, has the kind of life he covets. Caleb Landry Jones, who won the top acting prize at Cannes, gives his finest performance to date by chillingly incarnating the warring sides of Martin's persona: the growing pain he feels and the complete disregard he feels for the pain of others.
What type of library programming could use this title?
Library programming on Australian cinema and mental illness could benefit from Nitram.
What academic subjects would this film be suitable for?
Nitram would be suitable for students of Australian cinema, 20th-century history, gun control, and mental illness, particularly the study of intellectual disabilities.
What kind of film series would this narrative fit in?
Nitram would fit with film series on Australian cinema, particularly the work of Justin Kurzel.