So, I hadn't heard of the merger but am quite familiar with several faces in this movie. I love how the intro starts off with a little kid and claiming, this is a documentary on "Troy 'TownKiller' Carrington." In that short few seconds of an opening, it's seems to show modern Australia and the way we treat each other within our own little ways, especially our own kind. I feel like Angus McLaren was under used in this but in saying that, it was different to see him out of his role from Packed to the Rafters. The Merger reminds me of Backyard Ashes, which I learnt shares the same director; Mark Grentell, he seems to have a knack of outsiders in perspectives. Watching this has three different sides; one side of a local townsmen being exiled, a man struggling to keep "order" and most of all, people mourning their loved ones. At first glance, you assume it's just about a country town being a dick to a man who left then came back but as you learn, it's a story of a town trying to keep once was and how they want to keep once was while realising that sometimes change can be for the better. Understandably, because it's Australian it still had to show how racist some Aussies can be but I feel like they do it in a way that shows Australians that foreigners aren't the bad people. What I did like about this movie was that it showed that footy can be used as a "let's talk, mate" type of movie. Blokes who you wouldn't think twice about having mental health problems (not that it's openly discussed) but throughout the story footy teaches them to open up in a way that blokes only know how. #themerger #themergermovie https://www.instagram.com/p/ColvyN1P-g6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
