Here Out West movie review: Australian film brings out the humanity in western Sydney’s stories

If you’re not from western Sydney, or don’t live there now, if your only experience of it is passing knowledge that there’s great Vietnamese food in Cabramatta, then Here Out West seeks to change that.

The Australian film production was the opening night event of Sydney Film Festival in November and is now getting a well-deserved cinema release ahead of its TV premiere on ABC later this year.

Across a series of intersecting vignettes, Here Out West’s rare focus on an-often maligned community doesn’t berate you about its outsized share of social and economic burdens, which dominated headlines throughout the recent Covid Delta lockdown.

The film doesn’t ignore it either. It’s always on the edges, in a line of dialogue, the production design or in the heaviness of a character’s shoulders. But what it does do, and beautifully, is celebrate the richness and complexity of these Australian stories.

It starts with a grandmother visiting her daughter in hospital, and her split-second decision impacts the day of a group of mostly unconnected people, giving audiences a glimpse into the lives of a group of diverse people.

Diversity is at the heart of Here Out West, and that’s diversity in all forms whether cultural, social or economic. Most significantly, it’s diversity of experiences, aspirations and inner lives.

There’s Roxanne (Christine Milo), a Filipino nurse working a double shift on her birthday while her family is thousands of kilometres across the sea, or Amirah (Leah Vandenberg), whose father is dying in hospital, reverting to the Bengali language she never learnt.

There’s the loneliness and isolation of the migrant experience as seen through Jorge (Christian Ravello), whose uneasy relationship with his son underscores his sacrifices. Or Tuan (Khoi Trin), whose desire to belong sees him betray his own identity.

There’s also the poignant story of Keko (De Lovan Zandy), a Kurdish refugee whose dreams of opening a music school butts up against the reality of opportunities in his new home.

Each of these stories, and the rest, have an authenticity that comes from within, thanks to the talent in front of and behind the scenes.

Eight up-and-coming writers (Vonne Patiag, Nisrine Amine, Arka Das, Bina Bhattacharya, Matias Bolla, Claire Cao, Dee Dogan and Tien Tran) were given the canvas to create something close to them, drawn from their own lived experiences and communities while a stable of female directors including Ana Kokkinos and Leah Purcell, took carriage of their narratives.

The result is a collection of stories that is genuine, moving and revealing. They have something to say about a community that’s home to millions of Australians and whose stories are often told by outsiders and without compassion.

Here Out West is a shining example that diversity isn’t an abstract term – the beauty of it is in those individual, human stories.

Rating: 3.5/5

Here Out West is in cinemas now

Originally published as Here Out West brings out the humanity in western Sydney’s stories