Here are some flicks I’ve seen that are due out in cinemas this week …

The Australian Dream – A powerful and challenging film that documents the racial abuse of AFL player Adam Goodes. The film brilliantly peels back the layers of his story as he stares straight down the barrel of the camera lens, implicating and provoking a reaction from its audience. A well-structured documentary that found me effortlessly floating in the invisibility of its filmmaking and thinking only of the man at its centre. Would make a great (but arduous) double-bill with Sweet Country.

The Quarry – A man on the run assumes a new identity in this searing slow burn that’s been left in the frying pan too long. It makes a reasonable attempt at exploring the theme of forgiveness, but it’s far too strained and elongated to effectively get the message through. Michael Shannon does what Shannon does best but Shea Whigham is painfully wooden.

Fatima – Based on true events this swooning period piece tells the story of three children and their miraculous visions of Mary that lead to unrest in their small Portuguese town. It’s patchy but honest story telling that longs for a Malickian touch but doesn’t quite get there.