Directed by Adrian Ortega
Chasing a memory, Alex is determined to drive cross-country to Melbourne. Planning on having just the highway for company, he reluctantly picks up a hitchhiker running from something with as much determination as Alex is running to something.
Australia Melbourne International Film Festival 
Spain Barcelona International Film Festival 
UK Nottingham International Film Festival 
USA Beloit International Film Festival UK USA Australia Australia Spain UK USA 
Pretty good Aussie superindie two-hander. Shy, quiet germophobe Alex is driving across the continent to surprise an old love he hasn’t spoken to in eight years. He picks up gregarious hitchhiker Lily against his instincts, and we’re off.
The film starts pretty slow, as the pacing in the first half needs some work (as opposed to a slow burn). If you stick with it though, the character progression is nice and the ending felt rewarding enough for me to turn a 180° on it.
Both leads definitely have talent, especially Jack Michel, and it’s fun to see the buds of creativity bloom for a young cast and crew. Some really nice flourishes here and there. Worth a watch.
A decent little Aussie drama that's a little rough around the edges but has enough pathos (and a solid ending) to make up for it.
At MIFF 2019.
bleh bleh blee blah. i guess u don’t go to miff to see australian movies
As far as debut features go, Adrian Ortega’s understated and quiet Cerulean Blue may not seem like the obvious choice for a first time filmmaker. Opting to shirk any form of grandiosity or the more obvious drama that other filmmakers may find safety in, Cerulean Blue manages to find a meaningful tale in small gestures that many of us would otherwise not think twice about.
The film follows Alex (Jack Michel) a reserved young lad dealing with OCD. Making the trek from Brisbane to Melbourne in his barely running cerulean blue sedan, he crosses paths with Lily (Senie Priti) a young, wannabe actress who is far livelier than Alex is willing tolerate. Both making the same journey, they strike up…
Yeah honestly I'd be in love with Chloe too.
Jack Michel is such a talent! And I adored the cozy Australian vibes coming from this. Give it a watch on Stan.
In his largely self-funded feature debut independent Australian filmmaker Adrian Ortega creates a tender of two outsiders who meet by happenstance (or is it fate?) while travelling from Brisbane to Melbourne that slyly subverts expectations that begins with its protagonists who are set up as the typical quirky two dimensional types seen so frequently in rom-coms;Alex (Jack Michel) who is both introverted and suffers from OCD is on an adventure chasing a long past not forgotten memory but is upended by the overly talkative and extroverted Lily (Senie Priti) who challenges everything he thought he was chasing but she is also hiding a secret that she’s masking with her exuberant personality.
A nuanced character study that eschews cliché and genre…
Cerulean Blue, directed by Adrian Ortega is a super low budget film which blew my expectations at MIFF. This film is a great example of what makes writing characters so important, that is what makes Cerulean Blue stand out from the rest of the crowd as Adrian challenges us by breaking the conventions of a leading male character. We follow Alex (played by Jack Michel), a man tormented by Anxiety and OCD runs into hitchhiking, bubbly, free-spirited, Lily (played by Senie Priti) on his way to Melbourne. Together they unravel their pasts, both flawed characters teaching each other about their faults.
While watching this film, not only the writing and directing was superb but the cinematography and editing made the…
The great thing about Melbourne International Film Festival is the chance to view new films for upcoming directors. The first film from Aussie director Adrian Ortega is a road trip movie about love and self-discovery. The movie is held together by a great story, outstanding performances from its lead actors and breathtaking cinematography delivering one of my favourite films of the festival and the year.
The story follows Alex (Jack Michel) a closed off loner who is driving the scenic route to Melbourne. Along the way his trip gets crashed by Lily (Senie Priti) who is an outgoing sanguine needing a ride. Along the way they run into car trouble and plenty of heart to heart discussions about life, love…
from certain angles the lead actor looks like Kit Harington
Enjoyed this! Great to see an Aussie feature get a festival run. The ending of this film is its strongest point, I really felt it resonated with me and had a powerful reflective quality that made me think of my own experiences.
Not to mention Jack Michel is an absolute star. The man deserves more accolades and hopefully this is just the beginning of him becoming a familiar face on cinema screens!
P.S The obsessive hand sanitising is so relatable now we live in a global pandemic.
364/365
It was definitely a nice vibe, but wish is delved deeper or pushed further.
i really wanted to like this more than i did, especially since it was filmed on home soil for me. maybe with a bigger budget and a more fleshed out script it could have been better?
