''Suburban Mayhem'' is a 2006 Australian film directed by Paul Goldman, written by Alice Bell, and produced by Leah Churchill-Brown, with Jan Chapman as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

. It features an ensemble cast including Emily Barclay, Michael Dorman, Anthony Hayes, Robert Morgan, and Genevieve Lemon. It was filmed in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and Newcastle,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. ''Suburban Mayhem'' had its world premiere at Cannes and its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was released shortly after in Australia on October 26, 2006, with subsequent releases around the world.

Plot

Katrina ( Emily Barclay) is a 19-year-old single mother who is planning to murder. Katrina lives in a world of petty crime, fast cars, manicures and fornication. A master manipulator of men, she lives at home with a deadbeat father in suburban Golden Grove. Katrina will stop at nothing, including murder, to get what she wants. When her father threatens to contact

Social Services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

and take away her child, Katrina sets in motion a plan to wreak suburban mayhem that will leave a community in shock and make Katrina infamous in a way even she never dreamed of. It is loosely based upon a series of notorious murders by Mark Valera, who killed Frank Arkell and David O'Hearn, and upon his sister Belinda van Krevel and her then-partner Keith Schreiber, who killed Jack van Krevel.

Cast

* Emily Barclay as Katrina * Michael Dorman as Rusty * Anthony Hayes as Kenny * Robert Morgan as John * Genevieve Lemon as Dianne *

Laurence Breuls Laurence Breuls is an Australian actor. Breuls made his television debut portraying the character Nelson McFarlane on '' Home and Away'' in 1995, and his film debut playing the lead role of Jared in the 1997 film ''Blackrock''. Breuls performance ...

as Danny * Steve Bastoni as Robert Andretti * Mia Wasikowska as Lilya

Festivals

* 2006 – France – Cannes Film Festival * 2006 –

–

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venice Film Fest ...

* 2006 – Canada – Toronto International Film Festival

Awards

Won: * 2006 Australian Writers Guild: Best Original Feature Film (Alice Bell). * 2006 Inside Film Awards: Best Actress ( Emily Barclay), Best Music, Best Editing. * 2006

Australian Film Institute Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

: Best Original Music Score ( Mick Harvey) * 2006

: Best Lead Actress ( Emily Barclay) * 2006

: Best Supporting Actor ( Anthony Hayes) Nominated: * 2006

: Best Direction (Paul Goldman), Best Supporting Actress ( Genevieve Lemon), AFI Young Actor Award (Mia Wasikowska), Best Original Screenplay (Alice Bell), Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound. * 2006 Inside Film Awards: Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Script.

Reception

Box office

''Suburban Mayhem'' grossed $342,600 at the box office in Australia.

Critical reception

''Suburban Mayhem'' has received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "rotten" rating of 20%, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. Film scholar Bruno Starrs has critiqued the film with regard to Barbara Creed's notion of the "maternal feminine" monster.Starrs, D. Bruno (2006) The maternal monster in 'Suburban Mayhem'. Metro Magazine (151):pp. 22–2

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References

External links

* *
''Suburban Mayhem''
at the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

{{AACTAAward BestMusicScore 2000-2019 2006 films 2006 comedy-drama films Australian comedy-drama films Australian black comedy films Australian independent films Films set in Australia Films shot in Australia 2006 comedy films 2006 independent films 2000s English-language films