Since she was a little girl, Jade (Leila George) has always needed to take care of her baby brother Max (Sam Corlett). When he was fussy, she would sing to him to put him to sleep. When he struggled with his mental health, she was there. It’s now decades later, Jade is 30 and absolutely nothing has changed.
That is, except for the fact that Max is now a violent meth addict who has effectively ruined his and his sister’s lives. Jade has sacrificed her best years attempting to keep her now homeless brother out of trouble. But also, to protect their ever forgiving mother, Bev (Greta Scacchi) from his wrath, whenever he doesn’t get what he wants. When another outburst leads to her mother’s home broken into, her car wrecked and a near heart attack, Jade has had enough. In a last ditch effort, she plans to get Max clean whether he wants the help or not.
Utilising their late grandparent’s empty rural home, Jade reinforces a room to trap Max in, forcing him to sober up. Luring her brother in is the easy part, much harder is seeing someone she loves go through withdrawal and willing to do whatever he can to escape. As she keeps him trapped like an animal, many questions are raised. What gives her the right to do this? Will this even fix anything? But most of all, does he even deserve the love his family have for him or have his demons already killed the ‘Max‘ they knew?
Expanded from the short film I’m Not Hurting You, He Ain’t Heavy is the debut feature film from writer-director David Vincent Smith. It comes inspired by the real life difficulties he experienced by having a family member with extreme drug addiction problems, and the desperation and anger he felt, which he knew was shared by countless others worldwide.
Personally, I am lucky enough to have not been tested by such hardships. However, growing up in Dandenong, I’ve seen my fair share of it. He Ain’t Heavy is a film which feels depressingly authentic to these issues in it’s relentless depictions of chemical dependency.
This makes for a challenging watch from an outsider’s perspective as we are thrown right into the thick of it witnessing Max‘s selfish, reprehensible behaviour. We question from the start “Is this wretched man even worth the effort?”, which is what the movie is about, not so much about the drug addiction itself or the reasons behind it. He Ain’t Heavy wisely avoids placing any specific cause for Max‘s vice. Instead, the film is about the love that Jade has for her brother and the extremes she would go through to try to save him.
The experience may have benefited from having more of Max shown before drugs took him so far over the edge. There are some flashbacks and home videos shown but it still feels like we don’t get a real sense of what Jade is fighting so hard not to lose forever. Especially considering the extent of Max‘s addiction that we see has taken a hold of him from the film’s shocking opening scene.
Very much an actor’s movie, the story hinges on the main trio of cast members. Real life mother and daughter actors, Greta Scacchi and Leila George work wonderfully together and their connection is immediately felt. Bev is the kind of loving, nurturing mother anybody would be lucky to have, but it’s clear that her forgiveness may have led to Max‘s problems. Meanwhile, Jade has been pushed to the end of her rope, accepting the realities that Bev hides away from. Two wonderfully strong performances on completely different sides of acceptance.
However, Sam Corlett brings an unparalleled rawness to his portrayal of an addict. Transforming in both body and soul to someone whose life revolves around his next fix. Almost nothing but skin and bones, and a violent, terrifying personality. He’s both despicable and pathetic, but it’s just a shame we see so little of him in the “good times”.
Perhaps He Ain’t Heavy is still missing that little something extra to fully help us accept Max as person worth saving. Although, the strong performances of its trinity of talented actors give us a harrowing glimpse into a family holding on by a thread. He Ain’t Heavy is not an easy or enjoyable watch by any stretch of the imagination, yet it is still one that feels human and relatable.
He Ain’t Heavy is in cinemas from October 17.