What Lies Beneath: Death and Masculinity in Grant Scicluna's Downriver

Towns that lie beyond the metropolitan have a reputation for being inward-looking and closed off. In Downriver, we see this insularity manifest, not just in the inhabitants' reticence, but also in the way proximity fosters sexual desire and reinforces dark dispositions. Laurence Barber teases out the depictions of queerness, criminality and the rural in Grant Scicluna's absorbing debut feature.

Additional keywords: thriller, mystery, murder, justice, innocence, gay, LGBT, queer, Reef Ireland.