Overview: Set during WWII this is the story of Jarah’s coming-of-age in a brutal and lawless land – growing from a sweet child to a strong, independent and ferocious woman taking on Australia’s corrupt and bigoted system one bad guy at a time.

In the best tradition of the gunslinging outlaw, when the enigmatic Jarah is pushed to the limit she explodes in a fury of retribution. But for a revenge western there is a surprising series of twists and turns that lead us closer to redemption and reconciliation.

DVD Verdict: Simply, but perfectly put, ”The Flood is an action-packed dramatic western-styled adventure that uses our nation’s history as a framework to support an uncompromising, exacting and at times romantic and delicate female driven story that acts as a parable for race relations in our country”.

OK, that wasn’t me saying that, but it was the quite brilliant writer-director Victoria Wharfe McIntyre, making her feature debut with what looks like quite the attention-grabbing pic.

”We take audiences on a roller coaster ride, reimagining history, where women of the era radicalize and push back on expectations. Through living lives of their own choosing they highlight the choices and actions of the brutal society around them,” she adds.

And what a ride is sure is for as what starts out as a simple story known by all Australians - young men leaving home to fight in a foreign war – fairly explodes into a story rarely told but one central to our knowledge of ourselves and their country.

Balancing cruelty, violence and hatred with kindness, compassion and love to create three dimensional characters trapped in a monochrome society, personally, I was spellbound throughout the roller-coaster ride The Flood took me on (not to mention cheering loudly at the story’s climax, of course).

As you would well now imagine given my positivity toward this film, both direction and script are superb and each convey a highly complex subject and story. The music score and sound design are flawless, putting you right in the heart of the action.

Indeed, what makes this film stand head and shoulders above the rest of its ilk down the years is the agency it gives to women of color and First Nations people. These characters come out on top at the end of the film, which is a positive and powerful way to turn the societal narrative around - this needs to happen more in cinema. Thus, if your heart is open to the truth of Australia’s dark past, then get ready for a bumpy ride! This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.39:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Official Trailer