Snowtown

"Australia's most infamous crime story"

2011 2h 0m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🍅

85%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 374🍅85%Rotten Tomatoes●66Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 21,808

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Based on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.

“Australia's most infamous crime story”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Lucas Pittaway
Jamie Vlassakis
Daniel Henshall
John Bunting
Louise Harris
Elizabeth Harvey
Frank Cwertniak
Jeffrey
Matthew Howard
Nicholas
Marcus Howard
Alex
Anthony Groves
Troy
Richard Green
Barry

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Justin Kurzel
Writers: Justin Kurzel, Shaun Grant, Shaun Grant
Languages: English
Countries: Australia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 67% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Justin Kurzel, shot by Adam Arkapaw. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jed Kurzel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Veronika Jenet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lucas Pittaway and Daniel Henshall and Louise Harris carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Australia's most infamous crime story".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Justin Kurzel directs. Adam Arkapaw behind the camera. Jed Kurzel scores. Veronika Jenet cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 67% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 15 years ago.
4Directed by Justin Kurzel, shot by Adam Arkapaw. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jed Kurzel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Veronika Jenet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Lucas Pittaway and Daniel Henshall and Louise Harris carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Australia's most infamous crime story".
9IMDB entry: tt1680114 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "brother", "suspicion", "vandalism", "family relationships".

The technical file

Cinematography: Adam Arkapaw
Original score: Jed Kurzel
Editing: Veronika Jenet
Production design: Fiona Crombie
Costume design: Alice Babidge
Sound: Frank Lipson
Stunt coordinator: Mitch Deans
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,000,000
Box office: $1,349,387
Return: 67% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Snowtown (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 66/100
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 21,808 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

23 wins & 23 nominations total

AACTA Award for Best Sound
AACTA Award for Best Editing
AACTA Award for Best Direction
AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
AACTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Justin Kurzel

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Dr.KittPerry2025-03-04
Horror movies generally just don't float my They just have to have ñgextra*strong textDon't get the wrong idea An article I read recently about a woman having spinal surgery who wound up with a severed sciatic nerve definitely did something to my bowels.. strong text*blood, gore, jump-scares, torture, dismemberment...I can't say for certain exactly what it is. But it's usually something totally lame that sticks in my mind and try as I might, refuses to let go. Working in medicine and with a good part of that in the psychiatric secure unit has taught me that nothing is as terrifying as what a human is capable of doing to another such human. Í watched Snowtown when it was first released and it had that perfect sense of realism. As events unfold, it's not hard to imagine being drawn into precisely this type of situation and before even realising, finding yourself with no way out other than to dive in yet deeper. Í don't know if audiences in the US could relate in the same way, or maybe it's just because we grew up with f*ck all too. I guess suddenly somebody shows you a little attention and "grooming" simply wasn't a consideration back then. Then when you discove rthis was all a terrible nightmare for at least one kid who was never going to get the chance to wake up . Next, you're reading every news report and article to absorb yourself in the case. 13 years later and I've as good as lived every agonising moment ot the case.There's no escaping this ever. You want to wash it off..all the sweat, blood and dirt, but you will never be able to get in a bathtub again. Seriously - I actually had my bathtub removed. Legendary!!

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