Australian Rules
Directed by Paul Goldman.
Starring Nathan Phillips, Luke Carroll and Lisa Flanagan.
Based on the award-winning novel Deadly Unna? by Phillip Gwynne, Australian Rules is a story about relationships, explored through the issues of maleness, adolescence and racism. All the stereotypes have been included in this film. The abusive father, the Aboriginal older brother just out of prison, the depressed backwater town and the probably doomed love between black and white (Romeo and Juliet?).
The reluctant hero of the film is Gary Black, superbly played by Nathan Phillips. Blacky’s best friend is Dumby Red (Luke Carroll) an Aboriginal kid from the nearby Mission who is the star player of the local Australian Rules team, which is mainly comprised of Aboriginal players. Blacky himself is a ‘gutless wonder’ according to his father and an average footie player but becomes the town hero when he accidentally helps the team win their first championship. To complicate matters in a town full of open racism, Blacky is forming a relationship with Dumby’s sister Clarence (Lisa Flanagan). Following the celebration of the championship win, all the underlying tensions and frustrations between black and white and young and old explode in violent confrontation on various levels.
The adaptation from novel to screen is where this film loses some of its impact. The relationship between Blacky and Clarence has been strengthened and works well, both actors standing out in their roles far better than some more familiar faces. However, reducing the action of the novel from one year to a single week has required the omission of, for me, vital background information. As a result, Prospect Bay doesn’t feel like a real fishing town that relies on the tourist trade for its survival. Blacky himself doesn’t fit into the old country values of Prospect Bay and the reasons why he stays there and accepts the local attitudes has been omitted. A final criticism would have to be the ending, which is followed by what could be described as an epilogue to future reconciliation. For me, the real and more powerful emotional end to the film was ten minutes previously and was just as positive for the future.
This is a good film and worth seeing but not an excellent one. Certainly it raises many issues that still need to be debated about in Australia but perhaps that’s the problem — it’s all been done before. And why couldn’t they keep the original title, which is indigenous slang for "cool, isn’t it?" Now wouldn’t that have been deadly unna?
Dubya
