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PLAY IT SAFE is the debut feature film from writer/director Chris Pahlow. The film stars Nicholas Kato as Jamie, a 26-year-old musician who is out of work and down on his luck. When Jamie's band breaks up, he's left with no money, no career and no girlfriend. Now he teaches piano at a soul-destroying music school. Will he take a risk and follow his dreams? Or will he surrender to his new-found unhappiness and play it safe?
"This new Aussie film will resonate with every struggling musician you know." - theMusic.com.au
"A sharp-witted and effortlessly quirky dramatic comedy that’s deftly judged and hugely likeable... Pahlow marks himself out as a director to watch and an exciting new talent who’s not afraid to follow a curve ball." - The Lowdown Under
"Refreshingly real and startlingly engaging... there’s an authenticity that a lot of films struggle to achieve, with all the emotion, conflict and woes that come along with being twenty-something." - Pop Culture-Y
Following in the footsteps of filmmakers like Andrew Bujalski, Lena Dunham, Noah Baumbach, and the Duplass Brothers, PLAY IT SAFE explores a generation caught between endless opportunity and the pressures of conformity. The film features unobtrusive black and white camerawork, naturalistic dialog, and unaffected performances. The result is an engaging, refreshing look at twenty-something life filled with authentic emotion, humour, and pathos.
In many ways PLAY IT SAFE is a love letter to Melbourne's music scene, and the soundtrack features music from over twenty incredible Melbourne-based acts, including: Big Scary, Mantra & Nathan Liow, Lower Spectrum, Speed Painters, Brothers Hand Mirror, Ron Rude, Aaron Choulai, Polo Club, Aoi, DOS4GW, Yes/No/Maybe, Patinka Cha Cha, Dyl Thomas & Must, Spacecadet Lullabies, Merc Swazey X Nettsmoney, Villains, Gus Rigby.
Starring Nicholas Kato, Maya Aleksandra, Christine Lui, Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall, Clayton Jacobson, Kane Felsinger, Spencer Gigacz, Mantra, Matt Lewin, Jeremy Hopkins, Matt Joe Gow.
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