Unfinished Sky

Unfinished Sky is a 2007 drama film written and directed by Peter Duncan and starring William McInnes, Monic Hendrickx, David Field, and Bille Brown. It is based on the 1998 Dutch film "De Poolse bruid". "Unfinished Sky" was filmed on location in Boonah and Beaudesert.
Plot.
John Woldring (William McInnes), a widowed outback Australian farmer, is living a self-imposed life-style of isolation in a small Queensland town until Tahmeena (Monic Hendrickx), a traumatised Afghan refugee, collapses near his sheep station. Halted by an inherent cultural and language barrier, the two reconcile their similarly damaging past over the course of the film with help from communicatory establishments. Whereas John was previously accused of murdering his wife, Tahmeena’s flee to Australia from life under the Taliban was met with the searching of her daughter, who she was separated from, eventually being ‘propertied’ by the relevant local hotel. Having been consequently made into a prostitute, Sergeant Carl Allen rapes and abuses her, catalysing her desperate escape that results in the meeting of the John. 
Production.
Development.
The involvement and investment of New Holland Pictures, a combination of the Dutch company responsible for the production The Polish Bride and an Australian pair, Cathy and Mark Overett, was vital in the creation of Unfinished Sky. Given that Unfinished Sky is loosely based off of the 1998 Dutch film (The Polish Bride), the joint venture production company urged the consideration of Monic Hendrickx, who played the relevant counterpart to Tahmeena in The Polish Bride. This catalysed the casting of Monic Hendrickx, with Peter Duncan (director), although originally sceptical, ultimately impressed, recasting her in his culturally appropriated reimagining.
Peter Duncan originated the idea as a contextual adaptation in response to the impact of 9/11, whilst reconceptualising the story in an Australian setting, with it being shot mainly in Beaudesert, Queensland in the South of Brisbane. In an interview with Matthew Pejkovic, Duncan describes the film as one, ‘about overcoming those fears,’ in relation to his earlier comment of, ‘how people have become more fearful of each other,’ highlighting the central message of overcoming the distrust associated with difference.
Cinematography.
The cinematography of the film, headed by Robert Humphries, attempts to mimic the characterisation and interaction of the two protagonists. Distinctly split into two parts, the opening half of the film is distinguished by a more tonally grey image, a result of a slight crushing of colour, reflecting the coarseness of interaction between the protagonists. In union with a primary use of hand-held camera, the first half of the film acts as an internal reflection of the more ‘abrasive’ relationship between Tahmeena and John.However, once the romantic subplot further develops, the camera movements increase in fluidity, courtesy of the increased use of the dolly, whilst the once dull colour spectrum becomes more saturated and richer.
Camera work is also used to metaphorically represent internal perceptions of the world as viewed by the characters that inhabit it, most notably with respect to the presentation of the landscape. Duncan touches on this in an interview with Brian McFarlane, tying the portrayal of setting as that from the perspective of John, stating, “He’s so lost his sense of place that he doesn’t notice the beauty around him.” Fulfilling this in that the later sections of the film, much like the tonality, are dominated by more vivid presentations of the countryside. Similar, for Tahmeena, the country house is not fully revealed for a major section of the film, with the first full shot of the estate tactfully withheld given that, according to Duncan, “she is totally disorientated and can’t get a full picture of it.”
Themes.
Unfinished Sky is presented as a rebuttal to the contextual feelings regarding global influences, reflecting on the growing connection between regions such as Asia and the Middle East, with the underlying central political and social themes lending the film as an 'example of post-national cinema. With Tahmeena being an Afghani refugee, and having escaped from a brothel, the exploitation of humans through the sex trade or trafficking is centralised. This allows the film to reiterate the current issues regarding Australian immigration policy, with Peter Duncan commenting on how, "people have become more fearful of each other," in a post 9/11 world. 
Fear of Others.
Discussed amongst scholars in its more blatant representation and innate didactic portrayal, given Duncan’s desire for it to be centralised, the fear of others and/or of difference is a contextually relevant issue at the post 9/11 time of release. Revealed in the starting of the text, John, upon meeting Tahmeena, asks, “Are you Muslim? Islam? Taliban?,”, in which Khoo comments on the avoidance of these more politically divisive character traits, yet the inclusion questions the preordained perspectives that relate. Lambert further interrogates the underlining depiction relating to public perception of the ‘other’, citing John’s change in point of view relating to Tahmeena as a “call for changes to the tone of official policy and action.” However, McCarthy argues against this reframing of the protagonist, reconfirming the instant attraction relates to the matching appearance to that of his late wife. Continuing, McCarthy questions the importance of this specific theme, labelling “Tahmeena’s cultural specificity” as being ‘erased’ when in Australia, rendering the background of being Afghani as “entirely arbitrary”.
Isolation.
John’s voluntary and borderline exile makes way for an entrapped isolation as framed by Duncan in his interview with McFarlane, in which the film narrates the individual appendages that separates and detaches both John and Tahmeena. The title also ties in, that being a reference to John’s unfinished puzzle, narrating a clear character flaw, the incomplete puzzle symbolising a man broken over the accusation of involvement in his wife’s death. However, upon the completion of the puzzle, a task the two later engage in, a metaphorical recovery is situated, along with the ability to communicate about issues often left unsaid.
Release.
The film was release globally on the 19th of June 2008 to a number of domestic film festivals, international screenings including Toronto and Dubai, with an earlier release of January 31st that year in the Netherlands. It grossed $151,695 from opening at 29 theatres, staying in cinemas for 28 weeks at a total of 40 theatres and grossing $748,376 worldwide, with the vast majority of revenue coming from the Australian release ($745,484).
Reception.
The film was nominated for 10 Australian Film Institute Awards at its 2008 ceremony. It won three, including Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Monic Hendrickx) and Best Actor (William McInnes).
"Unfinished Sky" was screened at the opening night of the 2008 Dungog Film Festival.
Box office.
"Unfinished Sky" grossed $966,160 at the box office in Australia.