Kate Woods’ new film Kangaroo is the heartwarming pick-me-up you didn’t know you needed

The new Australian family film, Kangaroo, is a rare beast. It’s not just a movie for kids that adults can tolerate. It’s funny, heartfelt, emotionally authentic and ultimately uplifting.

It’s been 25 years since director Kate Woods released the much-loved coming-of-age classic Looking For Alibrandi. That might seem like a long time between big screen gigs, but a quick look at Woods’ IMDb page brings up dozens of small screen credits both here and in the United States. She’s hardly been twiddling her thumbs.

You might know the story that inspired Kangaroo. Around 2005, outback tour guide Chris “Brolga” Barns set up Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, after too many experiences rescuing orphaned joeys from the pouches of road-killed mothers. His most famous rescue, Roger the “sparring” kangaroo, became an internet sensation.

Studio Canal (the creators of the Paddington films) bought the rights to Brolga’s book, Kangaroo Dundee. But as Woods told me, they “didn’t actually want his story, so we made one up”.

In this case, “we” is Brolga Films and screenwriter Harry Cripps, with a little help from Looking for Alibrandi author and screenwriter, Melina Marchetta. Kangaroo’s screenplay has a light touch, and a fine balance between humour and serious themes – just one of the many factors that come together to make the film work.

Pit stop at Silver Gum

The story follows Charlie (Lily Whiteley), a young girl grieving the death of her father. Charlie and her mother Rosie (Deborah Mailman) move to the small fictional outback town of Silver Gum where her grandparents Gwennie (Trisha Morton-Thomas) and Ralph (Wayne Blair) live.

Charlie and her father shared a deep connection with kangaroos, and she honours that by caring for orphaned joeys in her bedroom – much to her mother’s frustration.

Meanwhile, in Sydney, ambitious TV weather man Chris Masterman (Ryan Corr) takes the advice of his producer (Brooke Satchwell) to be more action-oriented if he wants a big promotion. But his efforts with a dolphin go horribly, virally, wrong.

Chris is fired, and cancelled, so he heads to Broome in his Corvette to take the only job that will have him. But on the way he collides with a kangaroo and finds himself stranded in Silver Gum with a rescued joey.

He waits for his car to be fixed by Dave the mechanic (Ernie Dingo), who is in cahoots with Charlie to keep him there long enough to trick him into caring for his (and other) orphaned joeys. The longer Chris stays, the more joeys he ends up looking after.

The film’s excellent supporting cast includes Rachel House, Genevieve Lemon, Emily Taheny, Salvatore Coco, Rob Carlton, Roy Billing and Rarriwuy Hick. Together, they bring the town and its story to life.