Flathead tells the story of an elderly man returning home to Bundaberg and dealing with grief, among a group of working-class people.

[7] Peter Bradshaw, reviewing for The Guardian, rated the film with 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "Jaydon Martin makes an outstanding feature debut with this absorbing, moving and visually beautiful docufiction...

"[8] Wendy Ide, writing for ScreenDaily, said "The film is an unvarnished, but striking account of life in this working class community.

"[9] Martin Kudlac of Screen Anarchy wrote "Flathead exhibits a level of formal polish uncharacteristic of a straightforward documentary, yet its decentralized and loosely structured approach sets it apart from conventional fiction cinema.

The jury statement: 'We were captivated and affected by director Jaydon Martin's visually arresting and very moving portrait of individuals often forgotten about in society – in this case, the real people of small-town Bundaberg.