Face to Face is a 2011 film directed by Michael Rymer. This Australian independent film is based on the play of the same name. Anyone who is familiar with Australian actors or the Underbelly series will quickly recognize some familiar faces including Vince Colosimo, Luke Ford, Matthew Netwon and Sigrid Thornton. The film is an interesting study into human psychology and work place conflict.

The movie starts out with a major court decision, which gives offenders the opportunity to avoid jail time by going through a community conference. Since the current jails and prisons are over crowded, the government hopes this will help to alleviate the problem. At the community conferences, a mediator is responsible for working the perpetrator and victim through a conference to bring the case to a peaceful resolution.

The film focuses on the case of a young construction worker, Wayne Travers (Luke Ford), who ends up being fired for having an extremely, terrible day at work. Of course, Wayne is charged with ramming his vehicle into his boss’s Jaguar. His boss, Greg Baldoni (Vincent Colosimo) and his wife, Claire Baldoni (Sigrid Thornton), who witnessed the event, also attend the conference, which is mediated by, Jack Manning (Matthew Netwon).

Throughout the mediation, a number of different parties partake including Wayne’s mother and a number of co-workers. This face-to-face confrontation takes a surprising turn, when Jack discovers that things aren’t quite as simple as they may seem. Several co-workers, Hakim Slimon (Robert Rabiah) and Therese Martin (Ra Chapman), expose Greg for being an unfair boss, while also uncovering the abuse that Wayne suffered at the hands of his co-workers, which eventually led to his firing.

At times, the movie is funny, as crazy lies are unraveled. On the other hand, the show is bleak, when exploring the realism of an everyday work environment. At the end of the day, this is a worthwhile film that is definitely worth your time. In order to avoid spoiling any details, I won’t go any further, therefore you’ll have to check this movie out to discover whether or not Wayne is sent to jail for his crime.

Review

Face to Face is definitely a refreshing take on the justice system, struggles and bullying in the workplace. Each of the actors do an excellent job exploring their characters and representing normal, everyday struggles. I was exceptionally impressed with Ra Chapman’s performance, as she played the awkwardly shy Therese Martin. Luke Ford, Vince Colosimo and Robert Rabiah were all able to provide a little comic relief, in between the drama.

This is certainly a worthwhile investment of your time and you’ll feel a sense of closure at the film’s conclusion. Filmmaker Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11) raved about the film and I will too, as it deserves an 8 out of 10.

The film is currently available for Amazon Prime members for free.