The Furnace

Parents need to know that The Furnace is an Australian Western set in the 19th-century outback with a diverse group of characters, racist language, cursing, and violence. The movie centers around the unlikely pairing of Mal (David Wenham), a bushman on the run with two stolen gold bars, and Afghan cameleer Hanif (Ahmed Malek) who agrees to help him in exchange for a share of the gold. There is strong diversity among the predominantly male cast with leading roles represented by, among others, Afghans, aboriginal people, and Indians. These characters are shown speaking their own languages with some other characters showing a conscious effort to learn both their languages and rituals. But there are also tensions between the groups with racist language and behavior on show. One White character is called out for his racism. There are hunting and gunfights both consistent with the period, with some bloody injury and death. A corpse that has been opened up along its torso is briefly shown. Consumerism powers the story in part, because of Mal's desire to steal and transport gold. None of the characters are rich and the desire for financial gain leads to a number of conflicts. There is some discussion of opium use and one character smokes from a pipe. It is unclear as to whether this is opium or not.