TORONTO—You can see a lot of weird movies at the Toronto International Film Festival, movies without plot or sympathetic characters, or ones that mix beautiful cinematography with scenes so bizarre and disgusting they violate common decency.
And let’s be honest, as out of vogue as it is, common decency is something modern cinema, and society at large, could use more of—which is what makes “Last Cab to Darwin” such a special and rare treat.
“Last Cab” has all the things a great movie should have, including compelling characters you can feel okay caring about and a plot that moves along briskly while leaving moments for symbolism and artistry. Add to that a narrative arc that takes you on an emotional journey, a sincere and nuanced perspective on important issues of the day, and a triumphant climax that affirms human goodness.
That last bit might seem a little hokey to some, a little simple perhaps for the cynics. Often, movies celebrate villains but do little to temper that celebration beyond reminding us that these bad people eventually went to jail for their crimes. That’s the plot for two of TIFF’s biggest films this year, real crime stories “Legend” (starring Tom Hardy) and “Black Mass” (starring Johnny Depp).
“Last Cab to Darwin” never even veers in that direction; it takes regular people facing extraordinary situations and grants them the grace we'd hope to have ourselves.
The story revolves around Rex (Michael Caton), a 70-year-old taxi driver who’s never left Broken Hill, a small mining town of some 18,000, distinct for being one of the largest centres in Australia’s vast and dry interior region known as the Outback.
Rex is a warm and endearing fellow with an aboriginal girlfriend, Polly (Ningali Lawford-Wolf), who he keeps somewhat of a secret because of the racism that pervades his town, including at the pub where his buddies hang out and aborigines aren’t welcome.
