3.5 out 5 stars
During recent lockdowns in Australia, one of the hot topics was the number of film productions occurring around the country. One noticeable celebrity sighting was Zac Efron (The Greatest Showman), who filmed his latest film in the outback. Even though the dystopian storyline was meant to be an unknown part of the world, the landscape would be recognisable to most Aussies.
In the same reclusive vein of Castaway and The Old Man and the Sea, writer/director Anthony Hayes gives us a story of internal struggle impacted by the world's harsh elements. Efron plays the mysterious character Virgil who travels to The Compound that is advertised as an oasis amongst humanity's economic and environmental troubles. As he crosses the wasteland to get to his destination, he must rely on Keith (Hayes) to drive him. Their relationship is less than cordial and is merely an end to a means until they stop to relieve themselves. It is during the unassuming moment that Virgil comes upon a massive gold nugget buried in the sand.
The rock is too large to get onto the back of the truck; the two men have to decide who will stay and who will go to get equipment to release it from the earth. Since Keith knows the way back to civilization and has the connections to get the backhoe, they decide to have Virgil stay to protect the gold. This journey could take five or six days, which means that he will have to defend himself against the elements, conserve his water and keep from going mad while he waits for his partner to come back for him.
What becomes evident from the outset is how Hayes plans to strip this story back to its essential elements and take away the apparent assets that Efron brings to the project. By having his star scarred, hobbled and left with little to no dialogue, this film is not based merely on his looks and charm. With the harsh realities of the elements in the desert having their way, this whole film becomes a battle against the effects of the sun and the internal struggle to stay sane. All of which is played out well by the High School Musical actor who manages to embody the desperate nature of the situation. He shows what greed, naivety and misery can do to destroy a man’s life. A performance that will not appeal to his usual fans, but displays that Efron does have the acting chops to break free from his musical heritage.
Susie Porter (Ladies in Black) and Hayes provide marvelous support cast members. Still, the real stand out of this film is the cinematography that capliatizes on the beautiful and savage outback landscape. Due to the minimalistic nature of the script, the Australian director needed to capitalize on the desolate landscape to tell the story. The barren land becomes the primary adversary as it beats down the central character in a Hemingway-esque manner, along with psychological cancer that eats away at his soul. These elements leave him determining if this gold is worth risking his life for in the end.
Gold is reminiscent of the Australian desert since it is brutal, desolate and visually stunning. Like the precious stone it hides under the sand, this film holds a strong performance from its lead actor within. Still, is it one that fans will want to discover since it contains more pain than they are used to seeing their star portray?
REEL DIALOGUE: You cannot serve two masters
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Matthew 6:24
Most people do not know that Jesus had quite a bit to say about money and not just how they should give to the church. His words dealt more with mankind's priorities, and specifically, money cannot be the primary focus of our lives.
Not to be misunderstood, Jesus did not state that money is evil or that he was not anti-money. His teachings went to how it ranked in our lives over other things, specifically to God. The words in the above passage could be asked as a question: Who is your God? No one may say it is money, but if it takes precedence over all other things in your life, it has become your god.
In Gold, this idea manifests itself in the lead character's life and proves that assumed wealth is not worth losing your life over. The film shows the painful lesson that even with large amounts of god at your fingertips, you are not the master of your domain, gold is the master. The only absolute freedom and satisfaction can be found in God. Money is a vicious master, while the God of the Bible is a gracious and loving one.
