Little Fish

Cate Blanchett as Tracy Heart in Little Fish

Herald rating: * * * *

Been across the ditch to Sydney lately? Chances are you dallied in Chinatown but didn't end up in Little Saigon. Formerly and officially known as Cabramatta, it's way out west and more than a little off the tourist trail. Here, though, is where you might have come across Tracey Heart (Cate Blanchett): onetime addict, clean for four years, but unable to shake free of her former attachments like Lionel (Hugo Weaving), ex-footballer, ex of her mother, still a junkie.

Tracey wants to buy a share of the video store where she works but the bank won't play ball. Her ex, Johnny (Dustin Nguyen), and her brother, Ray (Martin Henderson), think they can help raise the cash.

Their grand plan will involve drugs, Lionel and his dealer, The Jockey (Sam Neill), trying to cinch one more deal and make enough to retire. It will drag fragile, vulnerable Tracey back towards the past and force her to confront her nearest and dearest: Ray, disabled in a car crash; their mother (Noni Hazlehurst), long- suffering at the hands of her children, but still there for them.

Like that other Sydney gem, Lantana, this is a circular narrative and you'll also have to figure out each character's background and how they relate to each other.

Every one is damaged goods, lost souls who have little to fall back on but their bad habits. Each is a studied performance, making it worth the effort.

Features on the DVD include the theatrical trailer, a revealing commentary from second-time director Rowan Woods, and cast interviews. Blanchett and Hazlehurst make for interesting interviews, while Woods joins in for a discussion on the movie's style and themes.

* DVD, video rental out now