My Brilliant Career

Sam Neill will always be this character in this movie for me, above all other roles.

If you have not seen it, let me put you onto Gillian Armstrong's directorial debut. Neill later spoke of his looks as not being leading man-ish, but there is no doubt of his hotness here.

A rural period piece included into the Australian New Wave, My Brilliant Career shares yards of starched white lace with another movie of that era, Picnic at Hanging Rock. But there is no female hysteria int the story, only a woman insisting on becoming her best true self. The role made Judy Davis an international star for years afterward.

I am always surprised when talk of Sam Neill fails to mention it.

If you watch it, will his not being the main character in a woman's story keep you from caring about him? I am betting, you will think about him long afterwards. Such was the magic of the film and his performance.