THE ROOSTER
Directed by: Mark Leonard Winter
Genres: Suspense, Drama
Cast: Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings, The Matrix), Phoenix Raei (The Night Agent, Clickbait, Below)
Written by: Mark Leonard Winter
Produced by: Geraldine Hakewill, MahVeen Shahraki
Production Company: Don’t Crow! Pty Ltd, Thousand Mile Productions Pty Ltd
Co-Producers: David Kelly
Release year: 2024
Country: Australia
Language: English
Duration: 101 mins
Co-Financed by the Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund
Synopsis:
Dan, an introverted police officer in a small country town, begins to unravel after he fails to follow police protocol when dealing with an incident involving his childhood friend Steve. The next day Steve’s body is found in the bush, buried in a shallow grave. Unfit to work and haunted by guilt, Dan spirals. When his pet rooster is killed by a fox, Dan lets go of the fragile tether he has on his sanity and retreats to camp out in the forest where Steve was found. After a chance encounter with an eccentric hermit living amongst the trees, Dan suspects that this man may have been the last person to see Steve alive. As Dan seeks answers, an unusual bond forms between the two men over games of table tennis. But all is not as it seems when Dan discovers that the hermit may have been responsible for a terrible act of violence.
“Weaving has rarely, perhaps never, been better.”
The Age - Karl Quinn
“The Rooster stands tall as a true original. You won’t leave the cinema untouched”
“The Rooster is a cinematic masterpiece that defies categorisation, with a cast that delivers career-defining performances that are as impressive as they are memorable. Mark Leonard Winter’s directorial debut is a daring, imaginative triumph that challenges norms, tickles funny bones, and leaves an indelible mark on the landscape of modern Australian cinema.”
NovaStream - Alasdair Leith
“Both Raei and Weaving are magnificent”
“The Rooster crows loud at daybreak, announcing an exciting new filmmaking talent.”
Screen Hub - Stephen A Russell
“Mark Leonard Winter’s visionary storytelling proves that he is not just a talented actor, but a genuine filmmaker.”
”A gripping story about friendship and how hope can come from unlikely places”
Cinema Australia - Matthew Eeles
TRAILER
FESTIVALS
Melbourne International Film Festival 2023 Bright Horizons
Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2024
