For his second feature, director Rowan Woods again proves himself a master at creating a strong mood. Despite echoes of the bleak territory visited in his debut feature "The Boys," a grim dissection of the violence in Australia's underclass, "Little Fish" manages moments of great beauty thanks in no small measure to the presence of lead actress Cate Blanchett in her first Australian role since 1997's "Oscar and Lucinda." After a series of high-profile international roles including her Oscar-winning turn in "The Aviator," "Little Fish" sees Blanchett shake off her fondness for period pieces and do something rare: play her age and speak with her own accent.

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