Review: He Ain’t Heavy – A visceral debut from Perth filmmaker
Directed by David Vincent Smith
Starring Leila George, Sam Corlett, Greta Scacchi
7/10
He Ain’t Heavy comes from the intrinsic minds of award-winning Perth director and screenwriter David Vincent Smith and Jess Parker, producer and owner of No Labels. The movie follows Jade (Leila George), who has sacrificed the better part of her adult life in the pursuit to help, heal, and rescue her little brother Max (Sam Corlett). From the moment the movie starts, we are plunged into the emotional maelstrom of Jade and their mother Bev’s (Greta Scacchi) family dynamic.
As a director, the movie is very much a David Vincent Smith production: visually muted tones with contrasting primary colours, and cinematography that is almost as much a character as the main cast—adding movement to every shot to create a tapestry of physical storytelling. It is because of this that He Ain’t Heavy evokes many philosophical, psychological, and emotive themes while remaining steeped in the thriller genre.
This film, a feature debut for David Vincent Smith, is not just about drug use, mental health, or rehab—it also shines a light on a topic not often explored or expressed in detail—how far will you go to save someone? Throughout the film, the audience experiences the true impact of grieving someone alive—the person they were in comparison to what “remains.” It also digs deep into the “saviour complex” and the self-destructive spirals we fall into in the hope that our love will conquer someone’s inner demons.
He Ain’t Heavy explores so much and utilises pacing, emotional timing, and physical acting to truly drive this philosophical thread home.
Though the film is not particularly dialogue-heavy or driven, there are pockets where it is poignant and activates the story; however, there are also some points when it felt like the dialogue was more of a distraction to the raw emotion within the scene. Despite this, there were many moments that allowed the audience to confer reasons and motives for why the family dynamic got to this stage through some breadcrumbing.
This deeply cathartic and semi-autobiographical film allows an audience to connect through whichever situational lens best echoes within them and emphasises that raw memory through psychological elements, visceral evocations, and a cinematic style that is deeply rooted within the urbanised thriller and gothic genres.
JOSHUA HALL HAINES