Tent boxing seems like a myth only shared by crusty older publicans hanging onto their third frosted pint in the back bar – romantic tales of Australiana machismo that evoke the smell of sweat and red dirt. Director Paul Goldman breathes fresh life into these outback ballads with Kid Snow.
Telling the story of a tragic Irish boxing family who switch from legitimate ring boxing to running a travelling boxing show winding its way through 1970s country australia, and complex relationships woven between the different drifters attached. If you haven’t heard of a travelling boxing show – imagine a classic circus but instead of maligned animals, locals are given the chance to pit their strength against the troop’s cast of carefully created personas, for a fee of course.
Our protagonist, Kid Snow (Billy Howle), is the headline act – a former ring boxer of no real note, now fighting for scraps in the tent boxing world, starring in a troop run by his brother Rory (Tom Bateman). A brother that had his own fighting career cut short in a car accident. The car accident seemed to be Kid’s own fault. Battling through guilt and regret, Kid navigates a nomadic world of poverty, emotional and physical pain, and ultimately romance. As the group travels they pick up Sunny (Phoebe Tonkin), a runaway turned dancer, and mother to Darcy (Jake LaTorre).
The magic in this film comes from the interplay of the wide, expansive settings and the magnetism between the actors on screen. Shot in Kalgoorlie and the Goldfields, the familiar open blue skies and flat red dirt plains of the Goldfields create the perfect backdrop for the characters’ internal and interpersonal conflicts to play out – giving them space, but at times casting them adrift from social norms that keep them confined. Whether it’s brotherly rivalry or Kid’s own internal guilt over maiming his brother, the central character actors give nuanced performances that are as convincing as they are moving. Particular note is the raw vulnerability and almost ferocity of Tonkin, as her character moves between the roles of protective mother doing anything to provide a life for her child, a victim of domestic violence and also a woman open to love. Watching her oscillate in and out of Kid’s orbit and the nomadic life of the tent boxers is simply magical.
Adding to this are the familiar faces of the supporting cast who help each of the main characters flourish in their own way. From boxers to publicans and beyond, they are: Ed (Robert Taylor), Lovely (Mark Coles Smith), Armless (Shaka Cook), Lizard (Hunter Page-Lochard) and Betty (Tasma Walton). Special mention must be given to the way that the film deftly navigates the issues of aboriginality in the 1970s. There are subtle nods to the racism from the period when the indigenous boxers are asked to drink outside the pub while celebrating a successful night of hustling, to their outright exploitation. While these stories don’t overwhelm Kid’s central storyline, they add to the fabric of the narrative and ground the tent boxing myth in bitter realism.
Truly one to watch, Kid Snow is a bevy of classic Australian mythos and phenomenal acting performances. Let yourself be enchanted by the familiar landscapes and the captivating story that is sure to become a cult classic. 9/10
