Beautifully captures an Australia in transition

No-one should miss this sweet-natured, laconic, emotionally gripping and very Australian film.

It`s July 1969, and NASA is sending its first manned spaceship to the moon. The NSW town of Parkes is agog with excitement because, just outside the town, the giant radio telescope is tracking Apollo 11. The small staff at the dish consists of four Australians - newly widowed Cliff, Sam Neill, laidback Mitch, Kevin Harrington, painfully shy Glenn, Tom Long, and security guard Rudi, Taylor Kane, who seems to have been watching too many American tv cop shows. There`s also NASA rep Al, Patrick Warburton. While the Mayor of Parkes, Roy Billing welcomes the VIP`s to the town, the pressure is on at the dish ... The Dish beautifully captures a time of transition in Australia when the ordinary battler could still fulfil his dream. It`s a similar theme to that of The Castle, the first film by Rob Sitch and his Working Dog team, but far, far more successfully handled here. These are wonderful characters, beautifully,subtly drawn and played,and the film is much more than a comedy - though the outcome is well known, there`s suspense and a sense of wonder here as these small-town blokes become a crucial cog in one of the most exciting moments in recent history. A minor quibble:music is over-used, especially near the end. But that aside, no-one should miss this sweet-natured, laconic, emotionally gripping and very Australian film..