“Singapore’s answer to Taxi Driver” is the buzz surrounding this lo-fi, low-life trawl through the gutters of southeast Asia’s cleanest city. Thing is, it’s not half that good. The Travis Bickle in question is 50-something Harry Lee (Lim Kay-tong), a cabbie who dreams of escaping to Australia (hence the title) but falls for a Vietnamese hooker instead. It’s ho-hum familiar, with snail-on-smack pacing exposing writer/director Djinn as an arthouse poseur. Harry’s dog-napping, whore-driving antics quickly grate as does his oh-so-deep and meaningful mantra: “I’m just a simple man, all I want are simple things”.
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