New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

We’ve all heard movies described as “based on a true story,” but what does that actually mean? I’m always surprised by the fact that some people seem to equate this to watching a documentary. Sure, some movies stick close to the source material, but even the most faithful adaptations make changes to the story. And of course there are some movies that alter so much that any similarities to the actual events seem to be accidental.

In each entry of this column I’m going to be looking at a different movie “based on a true story” or whatever phrasing is attached to it and compare it to the actual story. Hopefully, I’ll be able to separate fact from Hollywood. But I’m also going to be talking about what those changes mean and why they were made. Do the changes have some artistic merit or are they just attempts to make the story fit into a neat Hollywood package?

It is often the case that what we see on the surface doesn’t tell the full story. Sometimes a rosy exterior is simply a veneer hiding a dark and seedy underbelly. Between 1992 and 1999, Salisbury North, a seemingly charming and quaint suburb of the capital city of Australia, was home to a series of grizzly homicides. During that time a group of men murdered 11 people. The leader, John Justin Bunting, had insinuated himself into the quiet neighborhood. And eventually he influenced the group of men and a teenage boy (Jamie Spyridon Vlassakis, 19) into helping him commit the murders. The bodies were eventually found in a neighboring town called Snowtown. Because of this, the murders were dubbed “The Snowtown Murders.”

The movie Snowtown, directed by Justin Kurzel, dramatizes the events. Released in 2011, it received general acclaim. The movie not only aspires to retell the events but it aims to create a feeling of being there as if the viewer was becoming a knowing accomplice simply by watching the film. In fact it is clear that the filmmakers were more interested in what was going on in the minds of the killers than making a documentary.

Snowtown’s main focus is Jamie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway). It aims to examine how a directionless youth could be seduced by the influence of a seemingly charming father figure and drawn into these murders. As he gradually falls under the dominance of Bunting, Vlassakis goes from bystander to murderer. But how accurate is Snowtown? Let’s find out.

What the Movie Got Right

Jamie has a pretty boring life. With his father gone, he lives with his mom and siblings. One day his mom’s boyfriend takes indecent pictures of the boys, but the police are unwilling to do anything about it. After some time, Barry (Richard Green), a gay man in the neighborhood, introduces her to a man named John Bunting (Daniel Henshall). Bunting hates pedophiles and homosexuals, so he begins to harass the boyfriend until he leaves town. The boys are very grateful for this and they - especially Jamie - begin to see John as a father figure.

Continued:       1       2