Healing

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Craig Monahan directs. Andrew Lesnie behind the camera. David Hirschfelder scores. Suresh Ayyar cuts. Produced in Australia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 12 years ago.
• 2Directed by Craig Monahan, shot by Andrew Lesnie. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by David Hirschfelder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Suresh Ayyar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Hugo Weaving and Don Hany and Xavier Samuel carry the top of the cast.
• 6IMDB entry: tt2310792 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 7Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

Andrew Lesnie

Original score

David Hirschfelder

Editing

Suresh Ayyar

Production design

Leslie Binns

Makeup / hair

Beth Halsted

VFX supervisor

Julian Dimsey

Sound

Craig Carter

Stunt coordinator

Brett Anderson

Runtime

112 min · 1h 52m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

IMDB

Healing (2014) ↗

Also by

Craig Monahan

• 
  The Interview

  1998 · ★ 6.8
• 
  Peaches

  2005 · ★ 5.0

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  HEALING - teaser trailer

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• John Chard2015-03-29
  ★ 8/10

  Birdman of Won Wron Correctional Centre. Right from the very first scene I knew this was going to be a special type of prison film. Mother nature in all her glory, a bird of prey elegantly gliding through the air in pursuit of its target, then bam! Trapped in a fence, cut to a prison van, a prisoner menacingly staring down a frightened young man, himself trapped, but a wise old bird of years and years of incarceration experience sidles up alongside the youngster, about to take him under his protective wing. The healing of the title begins, for man, boy and creatures, a metaphor heavy narrative that thankfully is beautifully written and portrayed. Directed by Craig Monahan, who also co-writes the screenplay with Alison Nisselle, this Australian film stars Hugo Weaving, Don Hany, Xavier Samuel and Mark Leonard Winter. Music is by David Hirschfelder and cinematography by Andrew Lesnie. Story follows a small group of prisoners working in a penal system approved rehabilitation of injured birds of prey programme. But outside of this harmonious circle lay differing problems, bully boy cons trying to muscle in with their poison, and then there is serrated family ties outside the prison gates that seem impossible to be healed... Throughout the pic there are broken beings, inmates, creatures and wardens, all in need of redemption or a restart in life. There's a lot going in the story as such, but it all makes for a gratifying whole because the makers have taken their time to build the characters. Tech credits are excellent, with the performances of the lead actors leading from the front. Weaving giving high end professionalism as the emotionally troubled main guard is something of a given, while Samuel (The Loved Ones) looks like he is about to build himself a worthwhile career. The film, however, in human form belongs to Hany, who gets the plum role of Iranian Viktor Khadem, the old lag who is the centre of the story. His accent sometimes sounds more South African than Iranian, but his ability to say so much with pained visual ticks and a becalmed delivery of crucial dialogue really cements the heart of the story's worth. Elsewhere, Lesnie's wide angled photography does justice to the surroundings when the story goes outside of the prison walls into the outback, and of course the grace of the birds is given appropriate splendour. Which leads to bird trainer Andrew Payne, who along with editor Suresh Ayya, deserves a mighty pat on the back for ensuring that Healing is beating a true heart from all standpoints. This is a lovely film waiting to be discovered by grown ups who are able to get involved with the thematic beats of the story and accept its deliberate pacing in the process. 8/10

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• PO

  Pointblank Pictures

• 

  Screen Australia

  AU

• 

  Film Victoria

  AU

Key crew

• ProducerTait Brady
• ProducerCraig Monahan
• Stunt CoordinatorBrett Anderson
• Dialogue EditorEmma Bortignon
• Production DesignLeslie Binns
• Production CoordinatorAmanda Wray
• Visual Effects Production ManagerPip Wright
• Costume DesignerJeanie Cameron
• Second Unit Director of PhotographyErnie Clark
• Post Production SupervisorPippa Sheen
• Makeup & HairBeth Halsted
• Graphic DesignerHayes Brien
• Music CoordinatorPeter Hoyland
• Art DirectionZlatko Kasumovic
• First Assistant EditorCarly Turner
• Executive ProducerRichard S. Guardian
• Production Sound MixerJohn Wilkinson
• Art Department CoordinatorRaffaela Calluzi
• Visual Effects SupervisorJulian Dimsey
• EditorSuresh Ayyar
• Key Makeup ArtistHelen Magelaki
• Makeup & HairGemma Reynolds
• Post Production CoordinatorCarly Turner
• Sound MixerAndrew Neil

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• eagle
• prison guard
• prison visit
• shame
• aviary
• prison farm
• owl

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2014-05-25· Seattle International Film Festival