Sydney’s most unremarkable man has a story to tell. He just doesn’t know it yet. A man whose life has looked like failure after failure, always offset by optimism. Unremarkable is the next chapter in the comic tragedy that is Tim Smith’s life.
Tim Smith is the true Aussie battler. He’s right in the coal face of the cost-of-living crisis, like a lot of us. I wanted to make sure that this sometime goofball, sometime clown, sometime loser always had heart. Now more than ever, I think audiences need an optimist — someone you can root for, who takes every hit and still tries to see the best in things.
I sat down to write Unremarkable with two things in focus. First, I wanted to make something quintessentially Australian — a film for local audiences, packed with references and niche jokes only Aussies will fully appreciate. Second, I wanted to make a mockumentary that plays by the rules… until it doesn’t. Something that starts in that familiar format before breaking into a more traditional comedy-drama.
As the cameras follow him, Tim sets out to turn things around — chasing terrible business ideas with his wild “business partner” Christo, awkward relationships, insane adventures and small wins that feel way bigger than they should. But as the mockumentary starts to crack, so does the story, revealing something more honest about who Tim really is and what actually matters.
We didn’t make this movie in any traditional sense. After writing it, I moved straight into getting it up and then into the shoot itself. In a matter of months, the film was written, I’d pulled together just enough cash to see the film through and cameras were rolling. Looking back, is that smart to absolutely flog yourself by pulling the trigger on making a movie straight after completing the script and wearing ten hats? Nup. It’s insane. But to make a film like this, you probably need to be a bit insane. Luckily, I am.
The film was shot in 10 days — not a typo. Dozens of locations across Sydney, from scrapyards to pole dancing studios, with a big cast to wrangle. The mockumentary format helped; the run-and-gun style meant we could move quickly, mostly using natural light. Massive credit to cinematographer Angus McGuiggan, who immediately got it and ran with it — he saw the vision, added his own flair, and was unbelievable to work with.
The whole production had this sense of joy. Everyone embraced the planned chaos. Being low on money and resources, combined with making a new Aussie comedy, gave it a real underdog energy — like, “This is nuts, but we’re all in.” I wrote the key characters in the film specifically for the actors who played them. Each different oddball had to occupy a different unique space around Tim whilst living in the same world of the film and they all nailed what was asked of them. The chemistry between everyone was spot on. That helps when your Tim’s sister really is his sister, his love interest is his fiancé, and his best mate is his best mate. I guess we had a bit of a head start.
Across those 10 days, we shot the script — and then a whole lot more through improvisation. What started as “How are we going to get all of this?” quickly became “How are we going to cut this down?” The rough cut came in at nearly three hours. Editor Mickey Puglisi had a job on his hands, but he brought the same spirit and shaped it with real precision. What a gun.
From writing to final cut, the whole thing took about eight months. Which is absolutely mental to think about. And as we’ve sent it out into the world, that underdog spirit has stuck. We’re a small fish in a big pond, no doubt about it. But this small team made something we genuinely believe in. Whether audiences laugh, cringe, or cry, we know they’ll feel something. Unremarkable is for people who like films that try to do all of that.
In the words of Tim Smith: “I’m just a regular dude who had a crack and tried to do it with a bit of joy. Maybe that’s all that matters.”
We hope you enjoy our underdog movie.
Check it out on Amazon Prime.
