2:37

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2:37
Promotional poster for 2:37.
Directed by	Murali K. Thalluri
Produced by	Murali K. Thalluri Nick Matthews Kent Smith Gary Hamilton
Written by	Murali K. Thalluri
Starring	Frank Sweet Joel Mackenzie Teresa Palmer Marni Spillane
Music by	Mark Tschanz
Cinematography	Nick Matthews
Editing by	Murali K. Thalluri Nick Matthews Dale Roberts
Distributed by	Roadshow Entertainment
Release date(s)	August 17, 2006
Running time	94 min.
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	AUD $1,100,000
IMDb profile

2:37 (also known as Two Thirty 7) is a 2006 Australian drama film, written, produced and directed by debut film-maker Murali K. Thalluri and starring an ensemble cast including Joel Mackenzie, Teresa Palmer, Frank Sweet, Gary Sweet and Clementine Mellor. 2:37 was filmed entirely in Adelaide, Australia with most scenes filmed on location at St. Ignatius' College.

2:37 had its world premiere at Cannes and its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was released in Australia on 17 August 2006 and subsequently released around the world.

Tagline: It's only a matter of time.

1 Cast
2 Plot
3 Reaction
4 Festivals
5 Awards
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Cast

Principal Cast and Characters
Teresa Palmer	as Melody
Joel Mackenzie	as Sean
Frank Sweet	as Marcus
Gary Sweet	as Mr. Darcy
Charles Baird	as "Uneven" Steven
Marni Spillane	as Sarah
Sam Harris	as Luke
Sarah Hudson	as Julie
Clementine Mellor	as Kelly

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot details follow.

"Uneven" Steven (Charles Baird) is admonished by Mr. Darcy (Gary Sweet).

A contemporary, ensemble drama telling the complex tale of six high school students whose lives are interwoven with situations that so many of today's youth are faced with. Each of the six students have their own personal problems and goals.

The story takes place during a normal school day. At precisely 2:37 a tragic suicide will occur, affecting the lives of a group of students and their teachers. As the story unfolds, the individual stories of the six teenagers are revealed, each with its own explosive significance. This eventually leads up to one of the main six characters taking their own life.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Reaction

The film has encountered early commercial success, generating more than three times its production costs in distribution sales. Another early victory for the film was an apparent 17 minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.^[1]

Critics and audiences have been divided in their reaction, particularly regarding the graphic teenage suicide scene at the end of the film. Some mental health groups have described the film as "dangerous" ^[2], with concerns that it will lead to copycat suicides. Variety's Justin Chang has described it as "A queasy exploitation picture masquerading as a serious dramatic treatment of teen suicide".^[3] Preview screenings have reportedly led to some audience members walking out or fainting in response to the graphic rape and suicide scenes. Other critics have claimed that the film is too similar to Gus van Sant's 2003 film Elephant.^[4]

However, some critics have praised the movie. Urban Cinefile calls it "a stunning debut" ^[5] for Thalluri, who made the film at the age of 20. The Age's Tracee Hutchison has described the film as "beautiful", saying that it "should be screened to year 11 and 12 students in every high school",^[6] although the film's R18+ rating in Australia means that this cannot legally occur. The film's rating has been very disappointing for Thalluri, who has been quoted as being "gutted" ^[7] that the intended audience of young teenagers will not have the opportunity to view the film. Thalluri has stated that the purpose of the suicide scene was to depict the suffering and regret of the suicide victim, and to dispel any implication that the act of suicide is easy or simple.^[8]

Further controversy has arisen around Thalluri's claims that the movie was written about a teenage friend who sent him a video suicide note before taking her life. Investigations by The Australian questioned the existence of Thalluri's friend, as well as other statements he has made about events in his own life which led to the film's creation.^[9] However, his cousin Ann has publicly defended his story^[10] and Thalluri himself called the claims "offensive", "rude" and "ridiculous".^[11]