Romulus, My Father

Set in Australia's hard economic struggles of 1961, ten-year old Raimond (Smit-McPhee), a boy with almost divine powers, lives with his eccentric Yugolasvian father Romulus (Bana), both happy and comfortable toiling the days away as the village oddballs. Things begin to spiral out of control once Raimond's German mother, Christina (Potente), appears back at home only to leave just as quickly. Her fierce emotional highs and lows eventually lead Romulus into a mental institution. Told in vignettes, the story spans years in the course of Raimond's life, as he discovers his strengths and fights to keep his father at his side. As melodramatic and often predictable as this coming-of-age tale may be, it's still got guts and an emotional punch. Based on the memoir by German-born, Australian-based philosopher Raimond Gaita.