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First Review: Joanne Lees – Murder in the Outback

TEN has a pretty good track record of stand-alone dramas, be they telemovies or miniseries.

Last year’s Society Murders straddled a fine line between fact-based drama and scenes where we’ll probably never know the real truth. Tripping Over, Mary Bryant and especially Jessica have also been well received. We’ve also recently had Blackjack, Small Claims and Go Big.

And now we have another crime telemovie based on the 2001 abduction of Peter Falconio outside Barrow Creek. During an outback trek with girlfriend Joanne Lees, the two British travellers were set upon by an abductor. Lees escaped into the dark of night to live and tell the horror. But like Lindy Chamberlain, her lack of emotion gave rise to a trial by media, fascinated by the grim hallmarks of the case: the desert, backpackers, a killer, isolation, the tyranny of distance.

This telemovie ramps up all of those elements. The first hour is dominated by the terror of the crime through Lees’ (Joanne Froggatt) eyes. Surrounding this fish out of water are larger-than-life Aussie outback characters. Think small town, peering eyes, unfriendly faces, slightly askew townsfolk. It was a tad Deliverance.

The second hour focusses more on the courtroom proceedings via her legal team. Playing these roles are Bryan Brown, Asher Keddie and Tom Long. John Wood features as the defence. All of them are terrific. Here the tone becomes less extreme and settles into a clinical, courtroom drama.

Actor Richard Carter is stunningly real as the accused, Bradley Murdoch.

No doubt what happened to Lees was a life-turning event. The telemovie captures the fear and emotion, without digressing into the gore of Wolf Creek (which was also inspired by collective backpacker murders).

I’m not sure I learnt a lot from her story, it’s hard not to keep thinking of Lindy Chamberlain. But it’s a solid and accomplished portrayal of a harrowing tale. To their credit, producers Granada Productions even concede their own mistreatment of Lees in an early interview with Martin Bashir on their very network.

It’s an enormous task to dramatise a real-life crime. This deserves a big audience.

More drama like this, please.

Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback premieres at 8:30pm Sunday March 18 on TEN

One Response

  1. Not everyone is well equipped to deal with the tragedies that life serves up and Joanne Lees is no exception. Already confused about her relationship with Peter Falconio, she embarks on a seemingly idyllic outback journey designed to reaffirm this commitment. However, simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time propels her into a nightmare where she not only has to deal with the trgedy of losing her boyfriend in such horrific circumstances but then the three year scrutiny by media across two countries of her reactions and behaviour and whether it is consistent with the perceptions of the masses (Sound familiar?)
    The cast of this outstanding telemovie do a sterling job of conveying the emotions prevalent at the time and the lack of empathy and more to the point antipathy, for Lees as she struggles to deal with her own violation while having the entire expectations of the legal system, police and media for the capture of the killer and the resolution of the case placed upon her.
    Lees obvious naivity and systematic betrayal by those she trusts, post the murder, cause her to retreat into herself to protect her own sanity.
    Who wouldn’t…!!

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