Life must have been difficult for families after the WWII. Many people had escaped from the dangers of Europe to find themselves living in one of the small country towns dotted around Australia. Romulus Gaita (Eric Bana) came from Yugoslavia with his beautiful German wife Christina (Franka Potente from Run Lola Run and The Bourne Identity) and their young son Raimond (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Romulus managed to eke out a living by as a blacksmith and farm labourer, but his glamorous wife struggled with the bleak surroundings.

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Based on the memoirs of writer Raimond Gaita, this film is a testament to migrant families surviving 1950s Australia. When Christina has an affair with her husband’s friend, things get complicated. His parents had many problems to overcome and Raimond also struggled to make sense of his world, particularly his mother’s fluctuating moods and her frequent departures and unannounced reappearances. When his father, who has provided the stability to his world, also falls victim to surmounting pressures of poverty and conflict, Raimond is left to fend for himself. 

In the role of director rather than actor, Richard Roxburgh says, ‘The singular thing about this story, given its tragic dimension, its almost biblical reach, is how uplifting it is. Somehow through the pain, there is not only a sense of possibility, but of promise, held in the relationship of that father and son’.

Romulus, My Father is rated M and directed by Richard Roxburgh.