This month sees five new Australian films heading to cinemas, each of them unique and showcasing a diversity of stories by local creatives.
The top 5 Australian films in cinemas this May 2025:
Dale Frank – Nobody’s Sweetie (1 May)
Synopsis: Documentary. The greatest look yet at a well-known artist very few have seen up close, as the titular visionary recluse invites us into his home.
From ScreenHub’s review of Dale Frank – Nobody’s Sweetie:
As a drone shot slowly pans over a mist-enshrouded mansion somewhat incongruously surrounded by palm trees, you’d be forgiving for thinking that was a cold open for the latest Australian murder mystery. Instead, it’s an enigma of another sort: a portrait of the elusive-in-more-ways-than-one artist Dale Frank.
Ensconced in his Hambledon Hill palace in the Hunter Valley, erected in the 1860s, Frank is a bit of a recluse. Troubled by terrible nerve pain – demonstrated as he aches his way out of bed one morning, his grunts distressing doting ‘big grey puppy’ – he is often irascible, self-medicating with painkillers, whisky and near-constant cigarettes.
Tolerating the presence of his assistants, perma-smiling former soldier and studio manager James Smith plus the less talkative Trevelyan Clay, Frank is a workaholic who bemoans that you can’t pay anyone to show up at weekends. Read more …
Watch the trailer for Dale Frank – Nobody’s Sweetie
Director: Jenny Hicks
Cast: Dale Frank
Classification: M
Country: Australia
Runtime: 111 mins
Double or Nothing (1 May)
Synopsis: Two cousins embark on a high-energy race against the clock to find $50,000 when the mob discover one of them has been skimming from their Gold Coast workshop.
Watch the trailer for Double or Nothing
Director: Dru Brown
Cast: John Jarratt, Vince Colosimo, Steve Mouzakis
Classification: CTC
Country: Australia
Runtime: 98 mins
Forgive Us All (1 May)
In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus has transformed humans into violently deranged cannibals. A bereaved mother has lost everything and takes refuge in an isolated mountain cabin, until a desperate wounded stranger arrives with a story of hope.
Director: Jordanna Stott
Cast: Lilly Sullivan, Callan Mulvaney, Richard Roxburgh
Classification: M
Country: Australia
Runtime: 93 mins
With or Without You (8 May)
Chloe sets out to remove her entertaining but alcoholic mother Sharon from the claws of temptation to start new lives in an idyllic location. They find themselves on an expected road trip with mysterious West African man called Dalu. As the three embark on a trip in Chloe’s rundown wagon, misconceptions and misunderstandings lead to the realization that facing your fears is the first step to freedom.
Director: Kelly Schilling
Cast: Marta Dusseldorp, Melina Vidler, Albert Mwangi
Classification: CTC
Country: Australia
Runtime: 114 mins
The Surfer (15 May)
Synopsis: A man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. When he is humiliated by a group of locals, he is drawn into a conflict that keeps escalating and pushes him to his breaking point.
ScreenHub: The Surfer: first look clip released ahead of Cannes
Watch the trailer for The Surfer
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Justin Rosniak
Classification: MA
Country: Australia, Ireland, UK, USA
Runtime: 100 mins
The Aegean (16 May)
Synopsis: A widowed Greek fisherman and a teenage refugee form an emotional bond while sailing the azure waters of the Aegean Sea.
Watch the trailer for The Aegean
Director: Jacob Richardson
Cast: Costas Mandylor, Nicky Dune, Light
Classification: CTC
Country: Australian
Runtime: 103 mins
Bring Her Back (29 May)
Round out the month is the highly anticipated follow-up to Talk to Me, the Philippou brother’s explosive debut feature. Bring Her Back is in many ways a spiritual successor to that incredible horror film, and it will be interesting to see how the Adelaide-born twins have developed their original voices.
Synopsis: Following the death of their mother, a brother and sister are introduced to their new sibling by their foster mother, only to learn that she has a terrifying secret.
Watch the trailer for Bring Her Back
Director: Michael Philippou, Danny Philippou
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong
Classification: CTC
Country: Australia/USA
Runtime: 104 mins
