By Claire.
Small town Western Australia, 1965. The bright and
inquisitive Charlie Bucktin is woken in the middle of the night by the town’s mixed-race
outcast, Jasper Jones. Begging for help, Jasper lures Charlie to a clearing in
the bush on the outskirts of town to find a sinister end for local girl Laura
Wishart. Charlie is thus whisked into a whirlwind of mystery and secrecy, as he
tries to find out who killed this girl. Three kids swept up into a complicated
adult world, Jasper Jones is the
ultimate young Australian gothic, and one of the best Australian films I have
ever seen.
Prior to university, when I thought of Australian film I
thought of the low calibre, ocker and subversive. This perception was founded
on too many viewings of Round the Twist,
and little actual knowledge of Australian film. Here’s the thing, though:
Australia can make great films, of
high calibre - they just occur few and far between.
(left to right) Angourie Rice as Eliza Wishart, Aaron L. McGrath as Jasper Jones and Levi Miller as Charlie Bucktin
Directed by Rachel Perkins, Jasper Jones is an example of the standard that Australian films
can demonstrate. What Perkins achieves, and sets the film apart, is a deep
understanding and respect not only for the text, but for Australian stories.
This level of respect is something last year’s Joe Cinque’s Consolation fell short of achieving. Both stories of
crime, both adapted from books, but both with vastly different outcomes. In an
article for The Guardian, James Robert Douglas argues the issue with Joe
Cinque’s Consolation was that the author of the book, Helen Garner, wasn’t
involved in the adaption. Based on a true story, instead of a straight adaption
of Garner’s investigation, director and writer Sotiris Dounoukos chose to
dramatise the events of Joe Cinque’s murder, in a way which had myself and
others in the cinema cringing, not gasping. Harsh words, but the film had a
distinct aura of not taking itself seriously. This could be due to it being
Dounoukos’ first feature, or a lack of understanding as deep as only Garner’s investigative
reporting and writing can provide.
On the other hand, there is Jasper Jones. Adapted from the Australian modern classic by Craig
Silvey, Silvey was primary writer on the screenplay and actively on set every
day, keeping a close eye on the adaption and providing support as a person who knew the story. In addition, as revealed
at the Cinema Nova Q&A, what eventually led producers Vincent Sheehan and
David Jowsey to choose Perkins for the role of director was her deep
understanding of the book. What results is a story taken seriously and filled
with intricate details, and a film that hits the mark, spot on.
Charlie and Jasper confronting Mad Jack Lionel in Jasper Jones
This successful inclusion of the author is also the case for
The Dressmaker. Directed by Jocelyn
Moorehouse and based on the book by Rosalie Ham, The Dressmaker opened at #1 in the Australian box office - no small
feat in a culture which often overlooks Australian film for the latest US
blockbuster. Unlike Silvey, Ham did not write the screenplay for the adaption
of her book, but early interviews indicate she was active in the production.
Like Jasper Jones,
The Dressmaker is a mid-century
Australian gothic set in a small town. In the hands of any other directors both
films could have fallen into the all-too-familiar pit of the ocker and larrikin
typical of many Australian male directors, as evident in the absurdly
successful Crocodile Dundee in the
1980s and ever-present in Australian films ever since. The effect this has had on
Australian films is the notion of cultural cringe, parodies of Australian life,
as if the filmmakers are embarrassed of telling an Australian story. Perkins
and Moorehouse avoid this, though, and tell Australian stories with heart.
Perhaps this is due to them being women. The ocker and its ties to Crocodile Dundee is a masculine
perspective, whereas women are not included in this identity. The ocker does
not influence their style, and thus female directors offer a fresh perspective
for Australian screens.
(left to right) Judy Davis, Sarah Snook and Kate Winslet in The Dressmaker
This is not to say Australian men can’t make beautiful
films, such as Simon Stone’s The Daughter
and Garth Davis’ Lion, but the
perception of ockerness persists. The inclusion of female directors gives a
fresh, more serious point of view to Australian cinema. Due to being outside of
the traditional Australian identity, female directors know how to make a good
film, as they aren’t bound to Australia’s history of the ocker and the
subversive. Of course, this is improving, with Screen Australia’s Gender
Matters initiative, and active conversations happening around the country and throughout
the industry. Women need to be given more opportunities to tell stories,
because time and time again these films have shown what should define the
Australian film industry.
Jasper Jones is out in cinemas March 2nd.
--
Cause a Cine do not own any images used in this post.
Jasper Jones is out in cinemas March 2nd.
--
Cause a Cine do not own any images used in this post.
Be First to Post Comment !
Post a Comment