Former football star Troy Carrington’s (Damian Callinan) career ended abruptly when his foot got injured while running through the banner on Grand Final Day. He was once beloved in his hometown, but after his protests about greener logging practices led to the local timber mill getting shut down, people now just yell “Town Killer” at him when he rides by on his bike. So Troy remains somewhat of a hermit, spending his days alone, tending to his vineyard and coming up with bizarre new wine varieties.
The town’s football club, the Roosters, is having a bit of a crisis. Their club rooms have asbestos and need to be torn down. They also have no money, no coach, and not enough players. The club may be forced to merge with another team unless they can come up with a way to fix things soon. One proposed solution is to recruit many of the refugees who have recently moved into the area to join the team, and help rebuild the club rooms. However, the team’s current president, Bull Barlow (John Howard) is an older, stubborn man who doesn’t like change, and isn’t a fan of the migrants taking over the area. So he steps down and lets his daughter Angie (Kate Mulvany) manage the team, while Troy is recruited as the team’s new coach. Troy quickly learns that he’s got his work cut out for him as the majority of his new players have never played Australian football before. And some of the existing players don’t really get along with the new recruits. So he’s going to need to figure out how to get this team to come together if they have any chance of winning. Meanwhile, Angie’s 10-year-old son Neil (Rafferty Grierson) has decided to make a documentary about Troy, and doesn’t hold anything back in his interviews.
The Merger isn’t your typical comedic underdog sports team tale. While there is the aspect of a team of misfits and inexperienced players honing their skills and learning to win, while having some laughs along the way, the film also has more drama and heart to it. The story is based on star Damian Callinan’s one man play, which uses this football club premise to explore the refugee situation in Australia at the time. Though this version brings in actors of many cultures and backgrounds to help tell their stories.
The film does have a lot of humorous, laugh-out-loud moments, with oddball characters, and often poking fun at life in this small town. But it also takes the time to explore the stories of each of the refugee characters and the hardships that have brought them to where they are. The filmmakers have done a nice job of blending the more dramatic moments with the humor, keeping things real at times, but then following this with some lighter moments. Part of Troy’s efforts to bring the team together is to pair up the old and new players, with the goal of each being able to answer trivia questions about the other’s life. While there is some pushback from some of the players, who come from a similar mindset as Bull Barlow, the majority are welcoming of this exercise, and enjoy connecting with their new teammates.
The Merger also has this sweet family story at the core. Neil’s father had passed away a year earlier, and the last things he gave his son were a camera and a rooster onesie. So Neil spends most of his time dressed in the onesie and filming his documentary. He’s been missing his dad, and so he almost immediately latches onto Troy as a new father figure in his life. There is this great chemistry between these two characters, who form this nice friendship with really fun, sarcastic banter between them. At the same time, Troy also starts reconnecting with Angie, who had been a friend for a long time before his falling out with the town, and there is this nice romantic element to the story as well.
While The Merger had previously been released on DVD, IndiePix Films has given the U.S. a Blu-ray release for the first time, and it looks great! The video presentation is bright and clear, with a nice clean image and a solid level of detail throughout. The audio is only presented in stereo, so it doesn’t have the immersive feeling of a surround track, but it still sounds great. All dialogue remains clear, and the film features an excellent score/soundtrack that is reflective of the multi-cultural aspect of the story. The Blu-ray disc is placed in a standard HD keepcase (our review copy did not include a slipcover). The release doesn’t include a digital copy, but the disc does contain a 10-minute Making Of featurette with the cast/filmmakers, as well as a 14-minute interview with the director.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:43:14)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
- Audio: English Stereo (PCM 2.0)
- Subtitles: English
- Making The Merger (10:45)
The cast and crew discuss adapting the one man show into a film, casting the movie, working with the refugee community, the score, the look of the film, the filming locations, and more. Includes clips from Damian Callinan’s one man show, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Mark Grentell, writer Damian Callinan (“Troy Carrington”), actor John Howard (“Bull Barlow”), producer Anne Robinson & director of photography Tony Luu. - Interview with director Mark Grentell by Cinema Australia (14:16)
Cinema Australia’s Mark Eeles sits down with director Mark Grentell to discuss the film. They discuss the themes of the film and how they are relevant to current events, the premise of the movie, working with writer Damian Callinan, casting the film, and more. It ends with a short trailer for the movie.
- Trailer (2:37)
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Blu-ray:
Extras:
Final Thoughts:
The Merger is a fun underdog sports comedy mixed with an entertaining character drama. It is a humorous and uplifting story that explores how people of different backgrounds and cultures can come together to love and support one another, and how people can change, get redemption, and become more accepting of others. IndiePix’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes some entertaining bonus material. The release comes recommended, especially for fans of the film.
The Merger (Indiepix Classics) [Blu-ray]
$5.49 $23.22 (as of November 15, 2024 20:36 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Merger (Indiepix Classics) [DVD]
$5.99 (as of November 15, 2024 20:36 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
