i saw what i believe to be the best australian film of the year so far and jon hewitt acolyte . acolyte be a stylish thriller with a killer premise . get this two bully and molest teen discover a local serial killer in their suburb and then set about blackmail him to kill the bully who molest them . hewitt have pick a top notch cast include excellent new comer sebastian gregory and josua payne and hanna mangan lawrence to play the teen . add to that three and yes and thats right three great psycho . lead by joel edgerton in an outstanding performance of serial killer du jour and belinda mcclory his derange spouse and michael dorman a the teen rap bully and with swastika tattoo . once you add these teen and these menace adult and all hell break loose hewitt have craft a ball to the wall serial thriller thats damn original and accomplished . you can see the influence of larry clark and david lynch twin peak but hewitt make it all his own and in a qld suburban back water and always ring with the drone of emptiness . the script by shayne armstong and shane krouse and hewitt be tight . if market correctly this film could be a break out hit with teen . the next wolf creek . it could well be . it make all the right move . the teen be real ala larry clark . they do not suck and have an attached pc agenda and they be non communicative and good look and hip . the killer be dark with real menace . joel edgerton steal his scene a the mild mannered local ted bundy and who sport a butterfly on his 4wd spare ala john fowl the collector . dorman petrol head rapist pours on the menace that top suburban mayhem and provide a creepy thug who you can not wait to see buy the farm . the film be fast paced and tough and brutal . not only that and it display a confidence and directorial mastery from hewitt that be surely to win him an if or afi nomination and if not award . it nuanced and poetic mise en scene and brilliant sound design and excellent cinematography and tight structure mark it a clearly one of the best directed oz feature i have see so far this year . the film leave you shake and think and unsettled . it a truly great edition to the return to genre go on in australian cinema at present . it will surely garner the interest of hollywood . oh and and do i mention it get into toronto . what other oz feature film can say that much . the world should get ready for a new auteur and jon hewitt .