Angst (2000 film)
Encyclopedia
Angst is a 2000 black comedy
written by Anthony O'Connor, directed by Daniel Nettheim and starring Sam Lewis, Jessica Napier
, Justin Smith and Abi Tucker
. It was shot in and around Sydney
, Australia
. The film was released in Australian theatres on 31 August 2000.
devotees living in Sydney
's King's Cross
. There's Dean (Sam Lewis), a cynical, sexually frustrated video store employee with a bad case of unresolved love. Then there are his flatmates Ian (Justin Smith) and Jade (Jessica Napier
) - Ian works in an adult bookstore, waiting for his break as a stand-up comedian, whereas Jade doesn't work at all, content to smoke pot
and watch videos while she can still get away with it. Wandering into our characters' lives is street kid Mole (Luke Lennox
), who challenges Jade's lifestyle by stealing the trio's trusty VCR, and the alluring May (Abi Tucker
), a goth
chick on whom Dean develops an over-the-counter crush. It has been described as an Australian version of Kevin Smith's Clerks
and Mallrats
with the same Dark humor as SubUrbia
.
's Julie Rigg described the production as a "sweetly enjoyable film which almost works".
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
written by Anthony O'Connor, directed by Daniel Nettheim and starring Sam Lewis, Jessica Napier
Jessica Napier
Jessica Napier is a New Zealand born actress. She has been working consistently in Australian film and television for the past 15 years...
, Justin Smith and Abi Tucker
Abi Tucker
Abigail Anne Tucker is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress, best known for acting roles in television shows such as Heartbreak High, The Secret Life of Us and in McLeod's Daughters.-Career:...
. It was shot in and around Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The film was released in Australian theatres on 31 August 2000.
Plot
Angst tells the story of a group of horror filmHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
devotees living in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's King's Cross
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. There's Dean (Sam Lewis), a cynical, sexually frustrated video store employee with a bad case of unresolved love. Then there are his flatmates Ian (Justin Smith) and Jade (Jessica Napier
Jessica Napier
Jessica Napier is a New Zealand born actress. She has been working consistently in Australian film and television for the past 15 years...
) - Ian works in an adult bookstore, waiting for his break as a stand-up comedian, whereas Jade doesn't work at all, content to smoke pot
Pot
Pot commonly refers to pottery, the ceramic ware made by pottersPot may also refer to:- Containers :* Plant pot or flower pot, a container in which plants are cultivated* Cooking pot, a stove-top cooking utensil* Chamber pot, a bedside urinal...
and watch videos while she can still get away with it. Wandering into our characters' lives is street kid Mole (Luke Lennox
Luke Lennox
Luke Lennox is an Australian actor. He started acting in 1997 on the Australian drama series Blue Heelers as a guest role. He worked on the Australian feature Angst where he played the character Mole, which was shot in and around Sydney...
), who challenges Jade's lifestyle by stealing the trio's trusty VCR, and the alluring May (Abi Tucker
Abi Tucker
Abigail Anne Tucker is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress, best known for acting roles in television shows such as Heartbreak High, The Secret Life of Us and in McLeod's Daughters.-Career:...
), a goth
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
chick on whom Dean develops an over-the-counter crush. It has been described as an Australian version of Kevin Smith's Clerks
Clerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
and Mallrats
Mallrats
Mallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is the second to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse series of interlocking films set mostly in New Jersey, although the movie was filmed in Eden Prairie Center and Osowski's Flea Market which are located in Minnesota...
with the same Dark humor as SubUrbia
SubUrbia (film)
subUrbia is a 1996 comedy-drama film written by Eric Bogosian, based on his play of the same name, and directed by Richard Linklater. It follows the relationships between a few young adults as they spend their time standing on "the corner" outside a local convenience store.Bogosian based the story...
.
Reception
ABCAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's Julie Rigg described the production as a "sweetly enjoyable film which almost works".
Box office
Angst took $58,850 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $77,094 in 2009 dollars.Cast
- Sam Lewis as Dean
- Jessica NapierJessica NapierJessica Napier is a New Zealand born actress. She has been working consistently in Australian film and television for the past 15 years...
as Jade - Justin Smith as Ian
- Abi TuckerAbi TuckerAbigail Anne Tucker is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress, best known for acting roles in television shows such as Heartbreak High, The Secret Life of Us and in McLeod's Daughters.-Career:...
as May - Luke LennoxLuke LennoxLuke Lennox is an Australian actor. He started acting in 1997 on the Australian drama series Blue Heelers as a guest role. He worked on the Australian feature Angst where he played the character Mole, which was shot in and around Sydney...
as Mole - Lara CoxLara CoxLara Jane Cox is an Australian actress, known for a variety of roles. Cox played the role of Anita Scheppers in Heartbreak High, Doctor Denman in H2O: Just Add Water, and has appeared in Voodoo Lagoon and Kangaroo Jack....
as Heather - Emmanuel Marshall as Simon
- Johnathan Devoy as Logan
- Paul Zebrowski as Steve
- Celia IrelandCelia IrelandCelia Ireland is an Australian actress.-Biography:Ireland is best known for her work as Regina Butcher on All Saints, an Australian hospital drama...
as Case Worker
Awards
- 2000 - Won Australian Screen Sound Guild for Best Achievement in Sound for Sound Effects Editing for a Feature Film
- 2000 - Won IF Awards for Best Music
- 2000 - Nominated IF Awards for Best Sound Design