'A successful author riding high on the international acclaim of her first book, a sexually explicit autobiography, has everything - money, critical acclaim, and a new boyfriend who has fallen deeply in love with her and her wild literary persona. Everything is perfect, except the author is struggling to produce a second novel. She has writer's block. Attempting to meet her deadline, the author and her publisher boyfriend take a long summer weekend at her family's country estate. When a beautiful friend from the past arrives out of the blue, a secret history becomes a dangerous problem. Throughout the course of the weekend, the women move from tenderness to war and back again, as rivalry, teenage nostalgia and a dark secret from their past all rise to the surface.'
Source: Stan.
'The image of two women with a shotgun, speeding down a barren highway in pursuit of a man on foot, is an uncommon image for an Australian film. For an audience, the unexpected power of this scene is as shocking as it is delightful. As the women steadily close in on their target, it is evident, despite the complex plot line, that the two women have been clear in their intentions from the start. Directed by Mairi Cameron, and written and produced by Stephen Lance, The Second (2018) was funded, developed and produced under the Screen Queensland Originals Fully Funded Features programme, in partnership with the Australian streaming service Stan. The film's hybrid distribution model was the first for an Australian feature, and allowed for screenings in commercial cinemas, national film festivals and an SVOD release on Stan, The film was shot at Jimbour House, a cattle station established in 1841, at Dalby, Queensland, and features music written by Queensland composer Ryan Walsh and performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.' (Introduction)
'A calm menace pervades Mairi Cameron’s unconventional debut feature where shady secrets hide in broad daylight.' (Publication abstract)
'A calm menace pervades Mairi Cameron’s unconventional debut feature where shady secrets hide in broad daylight.' (Publication abstract)
'The image of two women with a shotgun, speeding down a barren highway in pursuit of a man on foot, is an uncommon image for an Australian film. For an audience, the unexpected power of this scene is as shocking as it is delightful. As the women steadily close in on their target, it is evident, despite the complex plot line, that the two women have been clear in their intentions from the start. Directed by Mairi Cameron, and written and produced by Stephen Lance, The Second (2018) was funded, developed and produced under the Screen Queensland Originals Fully Funded Features programme, in partnership with the Australian streaming service Stan. The film's hybrid distribution model was the first for an Australian feature, and allowed for screenings in commercial cinemas, national film festivals and an SVOD release on Stan, The film was shot at Jimbour House, a cattle station established in 1841, at Dalby, Queensland, and features music written by Queensland composer Ryan Walsh and performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.' (Introduction)
