20 essential Australian movies to watch

Academy Award-nominated film Lion is the remarkable true story of Saroo Brierley’s search for home. The story follows Saroo, a little boy in India who is separated from his family and adopted by a loving Australian couple. Now an adult, Saroo embarks on a journey to find his birth parents and where he originally came from. It’s an uplifting and highly emotional journey, with the dual role of Saroo beautifully shared by young Sunny Pawar and the always terrific Dev Patel.

Rabbit-Proof Fence puts a spotlight on one of Australia’s darkest chapters, known as the Stolen Generation, where Indigenous children were taken by the government from their families to be trained and integrated into white society. Based on true events, the film follows three girls who escape the settlement they’ve been placed in and the harrowing trek they take across the outback to return home. It’s equally inspiring and devastating and an incredibly important watch.

Loosely based on a 1960s girl group, The Sapphires tells the story of four sisters in Australia who are discovered by a talent scout and sent to Vietnam to sing for the U.S. soldiers during the war. Starring Chris O’Dowd and Aussie pop singer Jessica Mauboy, the film is a celebration of love, family, and music while dealing with cultural themes. It’s full of show-stopping performances and plenty of soulful tunes, making for an entertaining and enlightening viewing experience.

Likely the country’s most famous movie ever, it doesn’t get more Australian than Crocodile Dundee. Paul Hogan plays the titular Dundee, who, after rescuing an American reporter, travels with her to New York. Featuring everyone from Die Hard’s Reginald VelJohnson to Aussie acting great David Gulpilil, the film’s success benefitted from its dual setting of the U.S. and Australia. Hogan helped to create an iconic character, making the film one of the biggest box office hits worldwide in 1986. 

Starring the sensational Toni Collette before her well-earned international success, Muriel’s Wedding is one of the most beloved movies in Australia’s cinematic history. It is a ‘90s classic in its own right. Collette plays Muriel, an outcast in her town who steals her parents' money and goes on vacation in hope of finding a husband. Quirky and a ton of fun, the film has an entertaining and layered female friendship at its core and plenty of ABBA needle drops. 

Starring Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a quintessential gem in Australia’s cinematic offerings. The road trip comedy follows two drag queens and a trans woman traveling across the outback in their bus, Priscilla, performing for both eager and homophobic crowds. It delivers laughs with a ton of heart and is considered to be ahead of its time in terms of tackling LGBTQ+ themes. It’s also gloriously camp, and the costumes are marvelous. 

Before the hit U.S. TV series Animal Kingdom , there was the acclaimed Australian movie that it was based on. The gritty drama follows a teen who is taken in by his grandmother and the rest of his criminal family after his mother dies. As he becomes accustomed to their violent way of life, a detective hopes to save him. The film features some of Australia’s best talent, including Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, and Jacki Weaver, who was nominated for an Oscar for her cunning turn.

Before directing big-budget and glitzy Hollywood blockbusters like The Great Gatsby and Elvis, Baz Luhrmann made his feature debut with the satirical comedy Strictly Ballroom. Set in the world of competitive ballroom dancing, the story follows a champion dancer who finds a new partner after having been disowned due to his unique style. While not quite the sensory overload that Moulin Rouge! is, Strictly Ballroom still showcases Luhrmann’s extravagant directing style and production elements.

Directed by acclaimed Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton, Sweet Country is based on a true case from the 1920s where an Aboriginal man goes on the run after killing a white man in self-defense. Part western, crime, and drama, it’s a thrilling and compelling film that makes incredible use of its Northern Territory outback setting. Featuring breathtaking performances and cinematography, it’s a story that explores moral injustice and Australia’s violent and prejudiced history. 

Before the blockbuster and Academy Award success of Mad Max: Fury Road, the original films started it all. While the first Mad Max film was a success, its sequel, The Road Warrior, is even better and more thrilling, and as a result, is the favored of the two. Set in a dystopian Australia, the film continues the adventures of the titular policeman turned lone drifter. It was the movie that put this Aussie franchise on the map and catapulted it to worldwide popularity.

Highly regarded as one of the best horror movies of the past 10 years, The Babadook is an eerie and atmospheric experience. It follows a single mother and her son haunted by an entity in their home from a creepy children’s book. Deeply metaphorical and ambiguous, the film is scary and thematic. It is one of the first successful examples of the elevated modern horror movies that are so prominent in cinema today and plays against typical genre conventions. 

The Castle is an Australian cult classic comedy movie following the Kerrigans, who live next to Melbourne Airport. Although planes fly low over their house daily and the runway is practically in their backyard, they are blissfully happy. When the government forces them to vacate their home, they fight with all their might to keep it. The film is a satirical snapshot, as well as a heartfelt celebration, of working-class Australians and their spirit. The ensemble cast also features a young Eric Bana.

Based on the novel of the same name, The Dressmaker  is a stylish, dramatic comedy that follows a woman who returns to her hometown, armed with her sewing machine and ready to seek revenge from those who wronged her. British Oscar winner Kate Winslet puts on a flawless Australian accent alongside Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving, and Sarah Snook (pre-Shiv Roy). The film is funny, heart-wrenching, and features some fabulous haute couture.

Nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1971, Walkabout sees two city children abandoned in the Australian outback as they learn to survive with the help of an Aboriginal boy. A story about culture clashes, the film is a breathtaking display of Australia's land and benefits from its intimate scale. It also features the first-ever on-screen performance from renowned Indigenous Australian actor David Gulpilil, who plays the boy on his "walkabout."

Based on the novel by Joan Lindsay, Picnic at Hanging Rock is an enigmatic and unsettling film that doesn’t rely on shock horror to disturb. During a summer picnic at Hanging Rock in Victoria, three school girls and a teacher go missing, leaving no trace behind. The movie is directed by Peter Weir, who also directed The Truman Show and Dead Poets Society. It was one of Australia’s earliest international hits, and its moody and haunting aura has influenced many modern films. 

Much like the titular pig himself, Babe is the little film that could. The charming and timeless tale follows Babe, who is raised by sheepdogs and learns to herd sheep after being won by a farmer at a fair. It’s a family classic imbued into many people’s childhood memories and was written and produced by George Miller of Mad Max fame. Astoundingly, the film was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor. It deservedly won for Best Visual Effects.

Australia has produced its fair share of war movies, the standout being 1981’s Gallipoli. The story follows two Australian sprinters who sign up to join the ANZAC soldiers in Gallipoli, Turkey, during World War I. The film portrays the devastating reality of these young men losing their innocence as they are faced with the brutal reality of war, which is brought home by the central friendship at its core. It also features one of the most heartbreaking final shots in any movie ever.

Featuring Eric Bana in one of the best performances of his career, Chopper tells the story of infamous Australian criminal Mark "Chopper" Reed. Directed by Andrew Dominik (who would go on to direct the controversial Blonde) and based on the autobiography Chopper wrote from his prison cell, the film goes deep into the underbelly of Melbourne’s crime scene during the ‘80s and ‘90s. Bana is unrecognizable as he completely transforms into Chopper, physically and characteristically. 

One of the most disturbing things about horror-thriller Wolf Creek is that it is based on true events. A group of backpackers find themselves stranded in the outback and accept help from a local man, who turns out to be a sadistic psychopath who takes them captive. It’s often referred to as Australia’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, going all out with its gore and brutality. While the film’s depictions of torture and violence remain divisive, it’s a reminder to remain cautious of strangers. 

Starring Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mary and Max is the story of the unlikely friendship between two penpals: Mary, an eight-year-old girl from suburban Melbourne, and Max, a 44-year-old man living in New York. Mary is friendless and picks Max’s name from a phone book, while Max is overweight and severely depressed. The film is a beautiful example of the power of human connection, and its stop-motion claymation brings the story to life in a creatively unique way.