''Exile'' is a 1994 Australian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Paul Cox. It was entered into the

44th Berlin International Film Festival The 44th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 February 1994. British producer Jeremy Thomas was the Jury President for the Main Competition. The Golden Bear was awarded to ''In the Name of the Father'', directed by ...

. The film was shot entirely on location in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Plot

In the 19th century a young man, Peter, is in love with Jean, but her father refuses to let them marry because he does not have enough money. They plot to steal some sheep but Peter is caught and is exiled to a small island. Jean has to marry another man. She gives birth to Peter's child, but the child dies. A servant, Mary, arrives on the island. She and Peter become lovers and have a baby. The baby is christened by the village priest.

Cast

Aden Young Aden Young (born 30 November 1971) is a Canadian-Australian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Daniel Holden in the SundanceTV drama '' Rectify'', for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor ...

as Peter Costello * Beth Champion as Mary *

Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress and producer. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film '' Molly'' (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in ''High Tide'' (1987). She portrayed a teacher in '' The Heartb ...

as Jean *

Norman Kaye Norman James Kaye (17 January 1927 – 28 May 2007) was an Australian actor. He was best known for his roles in the films of director Paul Cox. Early life and education Kaye was born into a tough childhood in Depression Era Melbourne, as one ...

as Ghost Priest * David Field as Timothy Dullach *

Chris Haywood Chris Haywood (born ) is an English-born Australian actor, writer and producer, with close to 500 screen performances to his name. Haywood has also worked as a casting director, art director, sound recordist, camera operator, gaffer, grip, lo ...

as Village Priest *

Barry Otto Barry Otto (born 1941) is an Australian actor. Early life Barry Otto was born in 1941 in Brisbane, the son of a butcher. He has a sister named Denise. Otto trained as an artist at Brisbane Central Technical College. In the 1960s, Otto worked a ...

as Sheriff Hamilton *

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is a British actor. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA) and has been recognised as an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia. Born in Colonia ...

as Innes *

Tony Llewellyn-Jones Tony Llewellyn-Jones is a British-born Australian actor. He was nominated for the 1976 AFI Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in '' Picnic at Hanging Rock''. Born in London, England, Llewellyn-Jones lived in Singapore, Kua ...

as Jean's Father *

Nicholas Hope Nicholas Hope is a British-born Australian actor, known for the lead role in the 1993 film '' Bad Boy Bubby''. Early life and education Born in Manchester, England, Hope's family emigrated to the steel and shipbuilding town of Whyalla, Sou ...

as MacKenzie *

Gosia Dobrowolska Małgorzata Dobrowolska (born 2 June 1958, in Kamienna Góra), known as Gosia Dobrowolska, is a Polish-born Australian actress. Biography She has one brother, Janusz Dobrowolski, who also made a minor appearance in the 1984 film, '' Silver C ...

as Midwife

Original novel

The film is based on a 1940 novel, ''Priests Island'', which was set in Scotland. ''The Age'' wrote "The author deals in an idealistic way with primitive conditions of life, and the co-operation of nature with man in providing for his wants. But he also Introduces mystic elements into the story, such as the conversations between Peter Costello and the spirit of the hermit who once lived on the island." ''The Australasian'' wrote "Grant Watson's prose approaches poetry at times. His descriptions of the natural life In Priest Island are a Joy. The birds, the flowers, the winds, and the waves all make the story more complete."

Production

Cox relocated the story to Tasmania. "I was overwhelmed by his descriptions of the land," said Cox of the author. "There is a strangeness about his work. It is complex, interesting and very spiritual." Although an earlier script was written by another writer, Cox wrote the screenplay for the film over eight days while on holiday on a Greek Island. Half the budget was provided by the

Film Finance Corporation The Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) was the government agency responsible for funding commercial productions of Australian film, documentary, and television from 1988 to 2008. Unlike other publicly funded organisations responsible for f ...

.Andrew L. Urban, "Paul Cox: Exile", ''Cinema Papers'', August 1993 pp. 6-9 According to Cinema Papers, the budget for the movie was AUD$2.0m, but director Paul Cox claimed it was actually AUD$1.5m.''Exile'' (1994)
Ozmovies. Retrieved 21 December 2019. It was his largest budget to date. The film was shot from 15 March to 25 April 1993 on the

Freycinet Peninsula The Freycinet Peninsula is a large peninsula located on the eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. The peninsula is located north of Schouten Island and is contained within the Freycinet National Park. The locality of Freycinet is in the local g ...

on the east coast of

. Cox:

It's a very religious film. Because of that, it is not very commercial, is not very successful. I think it's a very good film... ''Exile'' is about the sea. It's also about society, how it always destroys the individual: that we're not the end product of that society, we're just there to be manipulated and used. It's about a man kicked out of society who really becomes himself. He shines, burns through all the rubbish of the mind and the body. He has to somehow survive physically as well, and he does it quite brilliantly. People even get jealous of him. They ban him and exile him."Interview with Paul Cox", ''Signet'', 13 January 2001
accessed 18 November 2012

''Exile'' had its Australian premiere at the

State Cinema, North Hobart The State Cinema (formally known as the State Theatre, colloquially known as "the State") is a historic cinema venue located in North Hobart, Tasmania. It was acquired by the US-owned Reading Cinemas chain in November 2019. History Originally d ...

which was followed by an audience lead Q&A.

Reception

David Stratton wrote in ''Variety'' that "Cox poses a few challenges for his audience. Story is slim, dialogue is minimal, and much time is spent simply exploring the inhospitable coastal terrain. As in "

The Nun and the Bandit ''The Nun and the Bandit'' is an Australian film directed by Paul Cox. It was the first of two movies Cox made based on the novels of E.L. Grant Watson, the other being ''Exile''. Plot summary In the 1940s, two outlaw brothers kidnap their wea ...

" the writer/director is interested in the spiritual elements of the piece. Patience is required in the early scenes, and the film clearly isn't for everyone, but gradually it exerts a spell."

Awards

At the 1994 AFI Awards the film won the Samuelson Award for Best Achievement in Cinematography for Nino Gaetano Martinetti, ACS.