CERT: TBC / RELEASE DATE: TBC

We’re seeing more and more anthology films these days. While there are few that match the stakes set by Amicus in the ‘60s and ‘70s, some do stand out as trying to bring something new to the game. Dark Place is one such film, being a collection of short films with a common thread: Indigenous Australians.

Using largely an authentic cast, the tales here vary from strikingly poignant, nightmarish, and, in the case of the final segment, comedic. The strongest sections include the first tale, Scout, directed by Kodie Bedford, which involves kidnapped women put to work as sex slaves (or worse, Hostel-type abuse victims). In a short space of time, it provides plenty of horror and evokes much empathy. Somnambulism and insomnia are utilised brilliantly in Liam Phillip’s Foe, in which a woman sets up a video camera to record her nocturnal self-abuse. Rob Braslin’s Vale Light has a supernatural edge, as a lone parent move into a nice neighbourhood after their previous place ‘burnt down’. Vampiric-types bear their fangs in the monochrome short The Shore, directed by Perun Bonser. The final piece – Killer Native helmed by Bjorn Stewart – is a high point, despite being tonally out of sorts compared to what has come before. It does provide some comic relief after the bombardment of thought-provoking material. It still packs a punch when it comes to pointing out the racial injustice heaped upon the original Australians since the colonies, even if it does so with a wink to the audience.

Dark Place is patchy, but at 75 mins, nothing outstays its welcome, making it a powerful and challenging watch.