Nitram (2021)

Director: Justin Kurzel

Starring: Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Anthony LaPaglia

Events leading up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre on Tasmania in an attempt to understand why and how the atrocity occurred.

I actually don’t really know why I decided to watch ‘Nitram’, and I now wish I hadn’t.

‘Nitram’ is the story of Martin Bryant, or Nitram as he was known. He is an intellectually disabled man who takes medication “to keep him calm and stable”. I did research on Martin Bryant and the Port Arthur massacre prior to watching the movie. Already then I should have opted not to watch it.

Knowing what he had done, I disliked (no, HATED) the character from the very beginning. I hated him more and more as the film progressed. As a result, I did not enjoy this movie at all. There honestly were no characters here I cared about, let alone about his life. Being based on fact – as opposed to being a fictional story – the film was disturbing and sickening to the core. I wish for him to rot in prison, and thereafter rot in hell for all eternity!!

Credit where credit is due; the performances were fantastic – especially Caleb Landry Jones as Nitram, and Judy Davis as his mother. Apart from that, I hated this movie, and will unfortunately rate it as such despite being a well made movie.

‘Nitram’ earned 38 award nominations, winning 20.

Would I watch it again? Absolutely not!