We’ve had plenty of sports documentaries lately, but this one promises to be more intimate and raw than the rank and file offerings, for reasons that will soon become apparent.
How to watch Sharko in Australia
Sharko is screening in Australian cinemas from November 28.
What is about?
Directed by Luke Graham, the subject’s son and producer of the excellent 2016 rugby drama, Broke, Sharko puts the focus on feared Kiwi rugby legend Mark “Sharko” Graham. He’s the only player ever inducted into both the Australian and New Zealand Halls of Fame, whose sporting heyday took place in bloody and brutal 1980s, when NRL was at its most violent.
While we get plenty of on-field war stories from an impressive range of former players and commentators, the real meat of the matter is the relationship between father and son, Graham the Younger grappling with his feelings about his often absent father. So yes, there’s plenty of biff, but Sharko seems to be aiming to be more than just a collection of rugby anecdotes, reckoning with how a life spent in the sporting spotlight affects a player’s family. Given the director’s proximity to the subject, we can certainly expect greater access than usual, and a more candid and truthful film as a result.
The cast of Sharko
Mark and Luke Graham, obviously, plus former players Wally Lewis, Paul Vautin, Steve Roach, Graham Lowe, Buck Shelford and more. If you’re an NRL fan, you’ll see plenty of familiar faces in this one.
Sharko trailer
Why we’re excited about Sharko
Sharko looks set to delve into some genuienly thorny areas, and we’re keen to see how the dynamic between the younger and elder Grahams manifests in the finished product. NRL is a ludicrously tough game, and the guys who play it are carved from wood, so a film that discusses the emotional burden of that life is a rare and welcome one.
