Roadkill is the story of a thief, a killer and some cops. During one of his routine muggings out on the Australian highway, Connor Shelby unknowingly holds up a serial killer, dragging himself into an ongoing police investigation lead by determined Detective’s Ernest and Albert.
Roadkill is a drama/thriller with themes of revenge, guilt, betrayal and redemption. Written by director and lead actor, Alexander Whitrow, Roadkill went into production in 2019 and was officially wrapped in 2022, taking over two and a half years to shoot.
With a cast and crew made up of almost entirely South Australian talent, Roadkill is truly an underdog story both in front of and behind the camera. With the majority of the film shot in the stunning South Australian Riverland, Roadkill not only tells a thrilling and suspenseful story, but also showcases some of the beautifully desolate and amazingly serene locations around the state.
Sit back and (try to) relax as you watch our antihero traverse romantic entanglement, the law, bogans and an unhinged killer.
Like a modern-day Highwayman, Connor Shelby spends his days on the isolated highways of rural Australia stealing from unsuspecting victims.
He justifies his actions by saving his earnings in the hope of taking the love of his life, Lucy Miller, out of the harsh and unforgiving Australian outback.
Across the country, in his ‘quest from God’, a serial killer moves from town-to-town executing those he believes to be ‘sinful’. Hot on his trail are Detectives Albert and Ernest, driven and logical, the pair follow the trail of bodies in an attempt to find and stop the brutal killer. Their hunt brings them to the South Australian town of Renmark, Connor’s current refuge.
After two young men report being mugged on the highway, the detectives investigate and discover the two cases may be closer to one another than he first realised. After having his identity exposed, Connor’s hunt for redemption, justice and most importantly, revenge, begins.
| Genre | Drama/Thriller |
| Country of Origin | Australia |
| Release Year | 2022 |
| Language | English |
| Runtime | 93 minutes |
| Rating | MA 15+ |
| Format | DCP, ProRes 422 |
| Aspect Ratio | 2.39:1 |
| Audio Format | 5.1 |
Driving through the outback, staring at nothing but red dirt, rocks and eucalyptus trees when a simple idea popped into my head, it would be remarkably easy to mug someone out here. Lure them in, lock them out of their car and take off with their wallet. Roadkill had started brewing itself in the unconscious area of my mind… I didn’t really pay it any attention or share my thoughts with my driving partner just yet, but we found ourselves talking about Australian cinema and the cliché horror, ‘serial killer hunting through the outback’. There was some more driving, more silence. And then, out of no-where I had a thought, “What if you mugged a serial killer in the middle of the outback? That would be a cool movie”. Except my thought must have been out loud, because my friend came back to me with, “You should make it”. So I did.
Roadkill is a drama/thriller that explores a man of my own age, and like most of us, doesn’t know his place in the world. As actor and director, I approached the character with the fundamental concept of, he doesn’t know why he does what he does, all he knows is that he has to do it. A concept very true of myself and this movie as well, at 22 I’m still not entirely sure of my function in the world or even how it works, all I know is I have to do this. Because if I don’t, there mightn’t be anything else out there. From a filmmaking perspective, Roadkill was about finding our footing in this crazy industry. Discovering and exploring style, character, theme, all of the elements that bring heart and soul to a film.
Whilst Roadkill is a tense Aussie thriller, behind the scenes it’s truly an underdog story. Living in a relatively quiet city inhabited by relatively talented people, I set out to create a film that had characters and a story that the audience would care about, as well as showcasing the beautiful and expansive scenery of the South Australian Riverland, all the while telling a gripping and intense story. We explored all the casting options available to us to find a team of actors who we thought would breathe the most life into the characters. We found a team of people willing to travel into harsh landscapes and unforgiving weather all in the name of creativity.
Telling the story of an anti-hero was always so much more interesting to me than showing the film from either the villain’s or the cop’s perspective. It makes us question our morals, like – he’s not a good guy, but we want to see him succeed, because if he doesn’t, the stakes would have been lost. Our misplaced empathy in this character is only empathy because we feel something for him. If the audience can become absorbed enough into the story that they’re actually rooting for a liar and a thief, then my job as a filmmaker here is done.
– Alexander Whitrow
