True Crime Tuesdays: Last Stop Larrimah
Review Overview
Place
9People
9Pies
7Helen Archer | On 21, Nov 2023
Adding to an ever-increasing roster of interesting, and slightly out-there projects, the Duplass Brothers bring us this tale of Larrimah, a tiny outback community in Australia’s Northern Territory, where, on 16th December 2017, their population of 11 was suddenly reduced by one. 70-year-old Paddy Moriarty, a long-term resident, went missing without a trace, along with his dog, Kellie. This two-part documentary, directed by Thomas Tancred, investigates his disappearance – and, in doing so, creates something of an ode to the town and its inhabitants.
Australia has long been a place of outrageous crimes and unexplained disappearances, many of which have become lasting lore. From the fictional and archetypal Picnic at Hanging Rock to the real-life cases of Peter Falconio and Azaria Chamberlain, these stories are indelibly inked on our minds. According to this documentary, an Australian goes missing, never to be found, every three hours, which speaks to the unforgiving landscape and the sheer vastness of the place, as well as its terrifying wildlife.
The cast of ‘characters’ here – the inhabitants of the village – are also quintessentially Australian, from the brash Fran, who apparently put Larrimah on the map for her ‘famous’ meat pies, and her ex-husband Billy ‘Light Can’ who lives across the road from her and seems to spend his days sitting on his porch staring balefully at his old house, to Barry with his no-nonsense attitude, who (according to him) provided Steve Irwin’s father with his first crocodile.
Much of the culture of the place is based around the local pub, which relative newcomers Karen and Mark took over some 4 years before Paddy’s disappearance. Indeed, the majority of the inhabitants seem to spend much of the day with tinnies clutched in their hands, reminiscing about the good old days, when Larrimah was something of a hub for outback travellers, a pitstop where some put down roots. And although the film starts after Paddy’s disappearance, the programme draws a fully rounded picture of him, thanks in no small part to some previous documentary footage of the town. He himself was no angel, participating mischievously in the kind of hijinks that seemed necessary to make life in Larrimah more interesting.
Those who remain are all suspects, for much of the documentary, which is presented as a ‘locked room’ mystery – think Murder on the Orient Express in the outback. Because scratch the surface of this community and there are tensions, faultlines and animosities going back years. Rumours abound and, fairly soon, it becomes clear that barely anyone can stand each other. The grudges held are particularly Australian, too. Dissing the meat pies, dead kangaroos on the road which are weaponised, arson attacks and various other petty and not-so-petty crimes drive wedges between the inhabitants.
Nor do many of them help themselves much when it comes to to allaying suspicions. “Since Paddy’s been gone – oh, it’s been wonderful” says Fran, who, at times, can barely refrain from smirking when she describes his disappearance. Her gardener, Owen, an ex-boxer, was not a fan of Paddy either, apparently having had issues with his dog barking through the night. The reasons behind the simmering tensions unravel themselves as the film goes on, as potential clues lead to dead ends and much-hoped-for evidence slips through the police’s fingers.
It it not until near the end of the documentary that you realise just how fond you have become of this group of eccentrics. Paddy’s disappearance marked an inexorable shift in their lives, one which can only be understood in retrospect. As they look back, to explain the way their lives have turned out, they are also looking forwards, to the end of their time in the small township they once loved so much. It becomes an oddly moving experience, one which, though specific, becomes universal. “The great thing about Larrimah,” it is asserted in the closing of the film, “is that it’s not in the middle of nowhere. It’s in the middle of everywhere.”