X for the Wayside Chapel

Overview

Sydney’s glitterati usually prefer to buy real estate on the waterfront bays further east, but maverick filmmaker Jon Hewitt is legitimately fascinated by Kings Cross. The red-light locale has been his home for almost 12 years, and it’s also the setting for his latest film, X.

X is a gritty yet captivatingly stylish thriller tracking one night in the life of two prostitutes, played by Viva Bianca and Hanna Mangan-Lawrence. One already world-weary and the other trying to get through her first night on the job, the two young women find themselves plunging into a rollercoaster ride of shootings, chases and bright neon lights. The requisite elements of eroticism and nudity are, of course, present, but all in the name of being as uncompromising and focused as Hewitt’s previous features — as the director rightfully points out, seeing people get out of bed with their clothes on after having sex is not very realistic.

Hewitt’s love letter to Sydney’s sleazy underbelly will premiere on Tuesday with a special benefit screening to raise funds for The Wayside Chapel, which provides care and support for people who have fallen by the wayside in real life. So see a great film, help a good cause and develop a newfound fondness for The Cross.