Beautiful Kate

The beautiful temptress Kate

Actress Rachel Ward, best known for her role opposite Richard Chamberlain in TVs 1983 mini serious The Thorn Birds, has finally directed her first feature film Beautiful Kate (2009). It’s a story of a family whose all to human mistakes lead to tragedy, recrimination, guilt and finally salvation. Told in parallel strands of past and present, the film recounts the sexual awakening of three siblings growing up in the isolation of the Southern Australian outback interwoven with the emotional journey of the division and reconciliation between a dying father (played by Wards husband and the films producer Bryan Brown) and his 40 year-old son Ned (Ben Mendelsohn) Based on a US novel by Newton Thornburg the story has been transplanted from America’s Mid-West to the stunningly harsh Australian outback which is the main star of the very good and well-acted movie.