Last Stop Larrimah is a rapscallion of a movie, a screwball, heartfelt portrait of the vast, threatening Australian outback and the tiny town Larrimah, pop. 11.
But boy, those 11 – now 10, after the disappearance of one Paddy Moriarty. An Irish drifter who arrived in Australia as a teen with no family to speak of, he was literally kicked out of the last town for his trickster meddling, and met his fate in Larrimah. Amid questions of foul play – now all but confirmed by the nearby police – each of the townsfolk becomes a suspect, with as much charisma and as many tangled motives and grudges as the best Agatha Christie plot.
If this SXSW selection were just a character study of a town, the sheer atmosphere would be enough to keep one engaged. The pink Larrimah Hotel and watering hole. Fran’s meat pie shop, where Fran gives out plush toys as souvenirs. Owen, the surly “bushie” gardener, Richard’s jolly tweaker aggression, pub-owner Barry’s love of crocs, and Billy’s wizened frame and soft blue gaze. Denizens of a 1970s beer-soaked commune that has dwindled into its dying days, these characters stay with you long after the credits roll, as does the cold case.
Old loves, business rivals, pesky dogs, and perpetual drunkenness make anyone a suspect, and reveal the extent of isolation’s toll on relationships and the psyche. One of the principal suspects, Fran, is constantly messed with by Paddy, just for fun: no one has a real job, so they end up playing out a kind of Tom and Jerry slapstick war for years on end. Only in real life, there are less funny consequences.
The film excels at toggling between the charisma and hilarity of Larrimah’s residents and the real pain and consequences of Paddy’s, and the town’s, disappearance. Almost a Western, the threat of the lawless outback encroaches as more disturbing gossip about the town’s residents come to light – rumors of arson, dead kangaroos, dead puppies, crocs possibly fed human flesh. Near the end, shocking evidence comes to light that leaves you with less of a question mark in the whodunnit and more of a sense of injustice – there was never any body found, never any physical evidence to link the alleged perp to the crime. The real toll of Paddy’s death is its impact on the town: Its peaceful partying soul, corrupted by cabin fever, turned in on itself.
The only note that disturbed my immersion was the score, cheesy in some instances where the filmmaking remained subtle. Director Thomas Tancred treats his subjects lovingly, somehow leaning into the Wild West caricature of Larrimah and teasing the guilt of each resident without losing sight of their fallible, relatable humanity. It’s an expertly revealed murder mystery with a heart of gold, and a fascinating study of what could have been a forgotten community.
Last Stop Larrimah
Documentary Spotlight, World Premiere
Mon 13, 8:15pm, AFS CinemaWed 15, 5:45pm, Alamo Lamar B
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This article appears in March 10 • 2023.