By Valerie Milano
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 3/20/24 – In the vast expanse of Australia’s Outback, where the skies stretch endlessly and the land harbors ancient secrets, a gripping tale unfolds in the latest cinematic offering from acclaimed Australian filmmaker Ivan Sen. The cleverly titled Limbo propels viewers into a realm where the past intertwines with the present, as a world-weary detective (Simon Baker) embarks on a journey to unravel the chilling mystery behind a decades-old murder. Set against the haunting backdrop of a remote mining town, Sen’s masterful storytelling and breathtaking cinematography paint a vivid portrait of a community shrouded in suspicion, prejudice, and the effects of institutionalized racism. Sen states, “The film is about damaged people coming together” and throughout the film, viewers will have the chance to see just how these characters come together and break free from the cycles they’ve found themselves in; voluntarily or otherwise.
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Straightaway, viewers will notice the title of the film resonates with multiple facets of meaning which connects all of the characters together and also connects their stories to the many overarching themes of the work. Director Ivan Sen uncovers, “There are many layers to the name of the film Limbo. The main family is in their own state of limbo since a crime affected their family 20 years earlier. But not only that, the main suspect in the film is also living in his own limbo as well. The policeman who arrives in town to review these cold cases, he also has a sense of his own personal limbo. The landscape seems to be frozen in time also; all around it seemed like an appropriate name.”
With themes of baggage, hurt, longing, and overall grief, viewers can deduce that the characters of this exquisite film must go through a sort of ‘dark night of the soul’ to get to the other side of the suffering that has lingered heavily amongst them. A way in which director Ivan Sen depicts this shared feeling and experience is by adjusting the film to be in black and white. He explains, “For me, the family who suffered this crime 20 years earlier, they are living in a memory; they’re living in the past and they can’t move forward or backward. The film being black and white gives us a feeling of the past and being stuck within the framework of the past. I believe the lack of color, emotional color, allows us to focus more on the characters and the story.”
Director Ivan Sen masterfully weaves together the narratives of characters ensnared in their own personal limbo, navigating through landscapes frozen in time and emotions steeped in grief. Yet, amidst the darkness, there is a glimmer of hope—a collective journey towards healing and redemption. By immersing audiences in a monochromatic world devoid of emotional color, Sen invites us to peer deeper into the hearts and souls of his characters, where the true essence of their stories lies. Be sure to catch Limbo in select theaters March 22, 2024!
