Secret Identity Angst and Flirtation in a New 'Griff the Invisble' Clip

Friday, 19 August 2011 09:35 Written by Jordan DeSaulnier

Add new comment

Rate this item

(0 votes)

Secret Identity Angst and Flirtation in a New 'Griff the Invisble' Clip

The superhero as we know it may be a uniquely American repackaging of resonant archetypes, but that doesn't mean that they're the exclusive province of these United States. Spandex-styled avengers strike a chord in people across a whole lot of cultures, and in the decades since Superman first smashed the hell out of a car on his first Action Comics cover, superheroes have popped up on pretty much every continent. The new film Griff the Invisible offers a look at a home-grown Australian hero. Ryan Kwanten stars as Griff, an introverted office drone by day and protector of his Sydney neighborhood by night. A new clip from Griff the Invisible eschews costumed adventuring but provides a good idea of the movie's buoyant tone, which mixes drama, comedy, and romance.

Here's the clip, with Kwanten as Griff and Maeve Dermody as Melody, a character just as odd and unconventional as the unlikely superhero.

Kwanten should be familiar to American audiences from Alan Ball's popular HBO series True Blood. The Australian actor has won legions of fans playing Sookie's brother and general man-floozy Jason Stackhouse on the sexy and gothic Southern vampire series. He also stars alongside the likes of Peter Dinklage, Danny Pudi, Summer Glau, and Joshua Malina in the upcoming LARP-horror-comedy mashup The Knights of Badassdom.

Leon Ford both wrote and directed Griff the Invisible. Ford is also an actor, and he appeared on the HBO miniseries The Pacific. His offbeat superhero tale has earned praise on the festival circuit, playing fests including the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and this year's Berlin Film Festival.

Griff the Invisible hits American theaters today, August 19th.