There are strong and weak elements in this somewhat strange mix of teen-flick and nuclear holocaust film.
The setup is strong, with three non-political young Australians who are mainly interested in hooking up with someone likeable, plus an American sailor (who has deserted his ship to somehow escape the war he knows is coming, and who wants only to get back to his sweetheart in the US), being thrown together by chance and finding themselves facing the question about what to do with what could be their last moments on earth. Their answers to this question are a mixture of poignancy and silliness, as the four spend their time flirting and drinking and dressing up from the Opera House costume department.
Sometimes it gets a bit puerile, but both Cassandra Delaney and Saskia Post are charming and easy to watch, while the two men are less engaging. There are some quite effective flashbacks as the characters reminisce on their short lives. But, after seeming to lose its way at times, there is an effective finale.
Also in the film's favour are the interesting insertions of some of the 1980s anti-nuclear marches in Sydney, reminding us of a time when the main danger to humanity was the possibility of the Cold War spinning out of control and a nuclear war wiping out life as we know it. Footage of a Midnight Oil concert also help bring back this era.
The setup is strong, with three non-political young Australians who are mainly interested in hooking up with someone likeable, plus an American sailor (who has deserted his ship to somehow escape the war he knows is coming, and who wants only to get back to his sweetheart in the US), being thrown together by chance and finding themselves facing the question about what to do with what could be their last moments on earth. Their answers to this question are a mixture of poignancy and silliness, as the four spend their time flirting and drinking and dressing up from the Opera House costume department.
Sometimes it gets a bit puerile, but both Cassandra Delaney and Saskia Post are charming and easy to watch, while the two men are less engaging. There are some quite effective flashbacks as the characters reminisce on their short lives. But, after seeming to lose its way at times, there is an effective finale.
Also in the film's favour are the interesting insertions of some of the 1980s anti-nuclear marches in Sydney, reminding us of a time when the main danger to humanity was the possibility of the Cold War spinning out of control and a nuclear war wiping out life as we know it. Footage of a Midnight Oil concert also help bring back this era.