sty stipic

First, I read the book and really enjoyed it. When I heard it was going to be adapted into a series, I was a bit suspicious, it’s rare for a movie or series to be as good as, or even satisfy, the book. So in this review, I’ll be comparing the two. When I started watching the series, I thought my fears were justified. At first, it looked like an American-style “woke” thing where every race has to be represented. For example, in the book Kade Hammer was a typical blond Aussie guy; Hannah from the music group was described as an “overweight Lady Gaga”; and Natalie, the brother’s bride, was a white Australian woman. But I got over that pretty quickly, because Hammer’s character and his family in the series are actually really well done. They bring in an Aboriginal background and explore both the problems Aboriginal people face and society’s attitude toward them, which is a real issue in Australia. One difference, though, is that in the book Hammer is much tougher and more of a jerk than in the series. The same goes for Rocky and Hannah (Bec), in the book they are truly horrible friends and bandmates. The book is also darker overall: Charlie’s father dies by suicide, hanging himself. That made Matt’s suicide hit even harder for Charlie, especially because in the book it’s not caused because of bees and farm. I do understand why the series changed it, though, they wanted to highlight mental health struggles in Australian outback farming communities. When I first saw Zeke, I didn’t like him because he looked too old for the role. But by the end, he had become one of my favorite characters. The actor was so good that he completely won me over. And finally, Charlie’s look and performance are absolutely perfect for Joseph Zada! Probably not the best thing for his career, though, because Joseph = Charlie. The one and only thing I really didn’t like- why, oh why, was that scene with the trans man included? As a gay man, I have no issue with trans people, but that scene just didn’t belong in this series at all. Another moment I wasn’t a fan of was when Nat kept saying, both in the church during her wedding and again over dinner, that marriage isn’t just between a man and a woman. I know it’s 2017, and I’m aware of the referendum, but it felt awkward and unrealistic for a bride to make that kind of statement at her own wedding without a strong reason. Honestly, I felt a bit embarrassed watching that scene.