THREE BLIND MICE World Cinema

This taut psychological drama follows one night in the lives of three young Australian naval officers On shore leave on the eve of being shipped out to fight in Iraq, they hit the streets of Sydney. The three lose each other but find themselves, along with courage, friendship and redemption. Sam (Ewen Leslie) has been mistreated at sea and is going AWOL; Dean (Toby Schmitz) is anxious to reconnect with his girlfriend and her parents, and has secrets to shore; Harry (Matthew Newton) is out to play cords and indulge in a night of excess. Newton wrote, directed and stars in his debut feature, which received a special commendation at the 2008 Sydney International Film Festival. With support from his wonderful cast, featuring some of Australia ‘s brightest young talent, Newton displays a precocious cinematic dexterity in crafting a beautifully rendered examination of these young men on leave. THREE BLIND MICE is a fascinating film-the succinct story unfolds perfectly, revealing the hidden levels of the human condition as the night goes on. It provides an illuminating , deeply satisfying and psychologically astute examination of life in the military.