Top End Wedding (DVD)
Wayne Blair


Top End Wedding (DVD)
Wayne Blair
Review
by Joanna Di Mattia
A romantic comedy wouldn’t be a romantic comedy without an obstacle or two to overcome on the road to happily ever after. In this respect, Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding is no different to other rom-coms. Adelaide-based lawyers Lauren (Miranda Tapsell) and Ned (Gwilym Lee) decide to marry in her hometown of Darwin. When they arrive in the top end, Lauren’s father, Trevor (Huw Higginson) informs them that Daffy (Ursula Yovich), Lauren’s mum, took off a few days ago. Lauren and Ned hit the road, with just ten days to find Daffy and say ‘I do’.
Blair, who directed 2012’s The Sapphires, knows how to entertain. There are plenty of laughs in Top End Wedding, slapstick moments and quirky supporting characters. But where Top End Wedding differs from other romantic comedies is in its formidable sense of place. Lauren’s Indigenous heritage takes centre stage as her search for her mother provides a deeper connection with Country, culture, and ultimately herself. Lauren and English-born Ned’s road trip takes them through the spectacular landscapes of Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge and Kakadu (the film was made with the support of Tourism NT), eventually arriving at Daffy’s birthplace, the Tiwi Islands. It’s a part of Australia most of us know little about, and seeing it expands our understanding of Indigenous culture on screen. Tapsell, who co-wrote the screenplay, is a Larrakia woman who grew up around Kakadu, and her knowledge of these places and their peoples gives Top End Wedding an authentic voice, vividly reinforced by the inclusion of Indigenous languages, music, and dance.
Top End Wedding is a film about belonging. Homesickness runs from mother to daughter and speaks to a powerful yearning for reconciliation – within a family, and within the nation. Tapsell and Blair have created a rom-com with emotional weight. You’ll laugh and cry.
Joanna Di Mattia works as a bookseller at Readings Carlton.
This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in 3-5 days
Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.

The Booksellers (DVD)
$29.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Killing Eve: Seasons 1-3 Box-set (DVD)
$64.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

The Crown: Season 3 (DVD)
$39.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Dublin Murders (DVD)
$24.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

His Dark Materials: Season 1 (DVD)
$24.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Outlander: Season 5 (DVD)
$39.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

The Outsider: Season 1 (DVD)
$24.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Song Keepers (DVD)
$29.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Emma (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

If Beale Street Could Talk (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Knives Out (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Western Stars (DVD)
$19.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Free Solo (DVD)
$29.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Top End Wedding (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Us (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Mystery Road (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

My Name is Gulpilil (DVD)
$29.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

High Ground (DVD)
$29.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Sweet Country (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Mystery Road (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Top End Wedding (DVD)
$14.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Satellite Boy(DVD)
$12.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

First Australians (DVD)
$39.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Ten Canoes (DVD)
$19.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...