Top End Wedding

Official Australian release date: 24/5/19. Viewed: 5/5/19.

Directors: Wayne Blair

Actors: Miranda Tapsell, Gwilym Lee, Kerry Fox, Huw Higginson

Genre: Comedy / Romance

Rating: M

‘Top End Wedding’ is from the director of ‘The Sapphires’ and also stars Tapsell, this time as Lauren, an up-&-coming lawyer from Adelaide. She gets engaged to Ned (Lee), which sets in motion a whirlwind trip to Darwin to try and pull together a wedding in 10 days before she’s required back at work, thanks to her demanding boss Ms Hampton (Fox).

Back in Darwin, we meet Lauren’s Dad, Trevor (Higginson) and the twist that her Mum, Daphne (Yovich), has left to find her roots. This “mystery” forces Lauren and Ned on a roadtrip to find her, and allows us to see the spectacular scenery in Kakadu and Katherine, as well as eventually, the Tiwi Islands. There’s plenty of funny moments along the way and interesting characters.

As well as the great settings, there’s also some emotional reunions for Lauren and Daphne with their people and country on the Tiwi Islands – it’s all handled really well and is very touching. It’s fantastic to see Aboriginal actors and Australian settings on film – I wish there was more. Overall, a lovely film in terms of story, music, characters and settings.

Overall: Well-made Aussie rom-com.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.