The Theme of Coming-of-Age in Recent Australian Films - Essay Example

The theme of coming-of-age in recent Australian films 2007 Coming-of-age is a common theme is films of all countries. While Hollywood films like Summer of 42, To Sir With Love and Graduate have been classics in this genre, Francois Truffaut’s French film 400 Blows has been internationally acclaimed. In Australia, a number of films have been made recently that deal with adolescent experiences and their coming to terms with reality that is not always rosy. Coming of age at the turn of the twenty first century is definitely different and involves a widely variant array of problems than those portrayed in the films of 1960s and ‘70s. In this age of consumerism and self-orientation, children often grow up in dysfunctional families that make them even more vulnerable. Besides, multiculturalism in the Australian society is now more pronounced as it is in most western societies, bring with it problems and issues that have to be tackled by the youngsters. Most of the Australian films made during this period touch on contemporary issues besides the simple theme of growing up. Most films of this genre depict the teenage reality and show that sex and violence have become part of life. Instead of showing a pristine adolescence, film makers of today are keen to show life as it is. Looking for Alibrandi (2000), based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Melina Marchetta and directed by Kate Woods, describes the daily travails of a teenage girl. Set in the 1990s, the film focuses on 17-year old Josephine (Josie) Alibrandi, whose Mchael Andratti had left her mother before her birth and who comes to know of Josie’s existence when he returns to Sydney. Josie struggles through school, the racist attitude of some of her mates, the suicide of her unrequited sweetheart and finally having an affair with Jacob Coote, who is initially the proverbial ‘bad boy’, soon turning the loving companion but finally ditching Josie. Her father, with whom Josie had developed a rapport, too has to leave Sydney. Finally, Josie comes to know of the family’s secret past that devastates her. Murali K Thalluri’s 2:37 (2006) is another Australian film based on the lives of six high school students. A tragic suicide occurs in the toilet of a school at precisely 2:37 p.m on an otherwise perfectly normal school day, affecting the lives of students and teachers. As the film unfolds, the lives of the six students are described, each significant in its own way. One girl is down with an unwanted pregnancy; another teenager struggles with a dark secret; the life of a school hero is not all hunky-dory; another student is victimized by racial bullying almost daily; a beautiful girl has eating disorders; and a brilliant student yearns to be in the good books of her parents and drug abuse to escape one travails. Each with their own individual problems, the lives of the teenagers are also interwoven at school. The graphic suicide is traumatic not only for the teenagers but also for the viewers, many of whom might have similar problems as the students. The director, himself in his 20s, is definitely sympathetic with the youngsters of today and to their problems that are so real in this age. School violence has grown to be an important issue in all countries now, with bullying and class disorders being the order of the day. Besides, the fetish with good looks leading to eating disorders is also related to the consumerist society. Teenagers struggle with similar problems and many of them are induced to take the most drastic actions. The film is not a bleak description of teen suicides but tries to explore the hidden problems in the minds of the youngsters. Hating Alison Ashley (2005) is another film on Australian teenagers, this time in the form of a comedy. Erika Yurken (who prefers to be called Yuk) is a suburban teenager from a rather weird low-class family. In a predominantly upper-class neighborhood, Erika belongs to a family in which the mother falls for a toothless truck driver, the younger sister imagines herself to be a pony, the older sister “a black belt in being a bitch” and the brother who grows marijuana in the garden. Erika yearns for a better and normal life. At school, she is not brilliant but fairly good and decent, distinctive from the rough ones. The school Barringa High, is a typical low-class one with the students continuously engaged in fights and graffiti-writing. She is an enthusiastic student and believes that she could do much better if she had a congenial atmosphere. Erika dreams of being a successful actress, earning enough so that she can get rid of poverty and the stinky surroundings. The teachers in school, ranging from the bumbling Physical Education instructor to the tough one who tries to instill discipline into the students, are not particularly helpful either. Even the teachers, who belong to the same class as Erika, are often institutionalized or found in the dope company. When Alison Ashley joins the Class of 9, Erika is awed by her sophistication and by her well-dressed and decent attitude. From going all out to make friends with Alison, Erika turns green in jealousy. It is obvious the Alison belongs to a class that Erika aspires to be part of but cannot. But through a series of events, she realizes that behind her external appearance of breeding, Alison too has her share of sorrows. It is not that merely belonging to a cleaner family or society is passport to achievement in life. The message of the film seems to be that all human beings, rich or poor, have their share of sorrows and pains. In some respect, Erika has more to be proud of than Alison though it is not so apparent. The film has typical coming-of-age shots like childlike voyeurism – for example, the two naked butts seen from the rear window as the kids are off to the camp, Barry, a school bully, takes one of the male teacher’s clothes as he is in the shower so that the teacher has to clutch on to his towel, or when Barry sets up a fire in the girls’ shower as the other boys get ready to capture the sight of the girls in underwear with video camera. There is also the typical teenage lingo in the film, with the music tracks playing the song that says “I see you baby shaking the ass”. In Blurred (2002), directed by Evan Clary, 70,000 school leavers visit Queensland’s Gold Coast for the sun and fun, which parents fear involve sex and drugs. This is an Australian tradition known as “Schoolers” who go for an adventure at the finish of school, for a “Schoolies’ Week” in order to prepare for adulthood. The film tracks the youngsters as they drive down by bus, train, an old car and even a limousine. The musical is more optimistic than the other coming-of-age Australian films, despite the serial killer who comes on and off almost like a comic relief. The journey to the Gold Coast is half the fun than the actual experience of the sun and sand. The film is targeted at the MTV teenage audience, with its face pace, music and fun. Thunderstuck (2004), too, traces the teenager psyche through music. Five 17-year old fans of AC/DC, themselves parts of a garage band, have a great time at a concert during the band’s 1991 Razor Edge Tour. Simply listening to the music is not enough for them. After the concert, they try to gatecrash into the VIP room but are predictably thrown out. Dejected, the boys come out to the back alley and a chance encounter with a 1978 poster of a former AC/DC member, Bon Scott, who is no more saves them from a disastrous accident. The boys decide that this is a message from Bon and they sign a contract among themselves – that the one among them who died first would be buried at the Freemantle Cemetery next to Bon. Over the years, the boys carry on with their lives and not all of them are in touch with each other. Sam hops between jobs, Sonny is unemployed, Lloyd is part of the underworld in various deals including drugs, Ben works at the supermarket and Ronnie, the most successful among the boys, creates advertisement jingles although his wife, Molly, a pop star is on the way to divorce him. Sonny is the most reclusive of all the five, living with his parents and continuing to create music and cutting demo tapes that he is too shy to share with anyone. The five men meet after twelve years. A sudden lightening strikes Ronnie as he reminds the other of the pact that they had entered and of the last song that they heard at the concert. After Ronnie’s death, the other four steal his ashes from Molly and carry it in a van that they steal from Sonny’s father’s garage to fulfill their agreement. They are off across Nullabor Plains in Perth. The journey catches the attention of the media and groups of AC/DC fans land up at the Freemantle Cemetery. On the way, the men meet a host of characters, some funny, like wheelchair rugby coach, a strangely dressed service station owner, a policeman who brings the Police Band to the cemetery. The second half of the film is not a typical coming-of-age one as the boys have now grown to be 29-year old young men. However, it is all about the promise that they made as teenagers that has brought them to this journey. Coming of age is a typical genre in movies. While some of it is based on nostalgia and memories of childhood fantasies or obsessions, like Thunderstruck, others focus on the advent of adult life and the exposure to newly acquired knowledge, like Hating Alison Ashley. Many such films also focus on the teenage problems like drugs and violence, like in 2:37. The genre of film, most typically targets the teenage audience, with music and action that attracts them, some are also a form of education for adults to understand teenage mind. For example, 2:37, though dealing with teenagers, is not meant for them (as the rating shows) but for the parents who need to understand the signals of their children’s problems. References Looking for Alibrandi, 2000, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217629/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_for_Alibrandi 2:37, 2006, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472582/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2:37 http://www.smh.com.au/news/film-reviews/237/2006/08/16/1155407887243.html http://www.infilm.com.au/reviews/237.htm Hating Alison Ashley, 2005, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hating_Alison_Ashley_(film) http://www.infilm.com.au/reviews/alisonashley.htm http://www.youngmedia.org.au/mediachildren/07_04/07_04_149_hating-alison-ashley.htm Read More