Mia (Francis O’Connor – Mansfield Park), an ambitious film studies student, finds herself entangled in a web of relationships and miscommunications. Her housemate Alice (Alice Garner – Monkey Grip, Seachange) is a frustrated perfectionist, four years late with her thesis and looking for a man to fit her rigorous relationship criteria. Their search for love and a new housemate transcends the boundaries of the University and their respective disciplines. As the day ends and the party begins events begin to unscramble in unexpected ways. Omina Vincit Amor… Love Conquers All!

For thoughts on Love and Other Catastrophes, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Love and Other Catastrophes debuts on Blu-Ray domestically with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 derived from an HD master. This new release is most likely sourced from a somewhat older source, but it looks pretty decent even if it has not been newly remastered. We are mostly pleased with the texture and detail on display. There are lingering specks of print damage, but it does not emerge as a major deficit. The shots of the exteriors have some nice, distinct details that are easily observable thanks to this transfer, even if it can run a bit soft. Colors are commendably saturated in all situations. Skin tones are natural and consistent with facial features prominent in close-ups. Black levels hold up with little in the way of crush, yet some of the highlights get a bit too hot. Digital noise does not present as an exaggerated issue here. This presentation is fine work from Umbrella Entertainment.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a consistent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track with optional English SDH subtitles. While the Australian accents are easy to understand, some audiences may need subtitles to help parse some of the line readings. Environmental sounds around the campus are rendered well alongside everything else. The music is abundant and full of personality throughout the film. There is rarely a moment when it drowns out the dialogue, and the track maintains a commendable balance so that exchanges come through clearly. There do not seem to be any major instances of age-related wear and tear. Umbrella Entertainment has provided a sturdy presentation for the film.

Special Features

This Blu-Ray set includes a multi-page booklet featuring essays by film critics Digby Houghton and Jenny Valentish that provide a great analysis of the themes of the story, the production of the film, its place in Australian independent cinema, and more. The booklet also includes a Cinema Papers interview with director Emma-Kate Croghan and co-writer Helen Bandis. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Audio Commentary: Director Emma-Kate Croghan provides a modern commentary track in which she discusses the background of the production, shooting on a limited budget, the shooting locations, working with the various performers, the development of the script, and more.

Interview with Actor Matt Day: A 22-minute interview with the actor in which he reflects on his experiences making the film, where he was at in his career, shooting on a microbudget production, the influence of Clerks, working with Emma-Kate Croghan, getting to a naturalistic state with his character, his relationship to the other performers, and more.

Trailers (2:01)

Final Thoughts

Love and Other Catastrophes is an enjoyable bit of ‘90s independent cinema as filtered through an Australian perspective. The ensemble draws you in with a mixture of future familiar faces and distinct performers who never quite made a splash internationally. The plot lines are fairly routine for this subgenre of youthful angst and hard-earned edification, but the execution nails all of these elements well. If you are nostalgic for this brand of scrappy cinema of yore, it should scratch that itch. Umbrella Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that features a good A/V presentation and a couple of engaging supplemental features. Recommended

Love and Other Catastrophes is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Umbrella Entertainment and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

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