Australian Film Industry - Essay Example

Australian film industry By Student’s Name Code+ course name Instructor’s Name University Name City, State Gender as explained in the dictionary is a wide range of mental, behavioral and physical characteristics that distinguish a living organism in its femininity or masculinity. In most of the cases it depends on the context of the topic being discussed since it can be the biological sex; either a female, male or even intersex. In addition it can be to the context of the respective social roles where gender roles are addressed as well as gender identity. In the attempts of pointing out on the gender imbalance present in the film industry, it often meets with a lot of allegations that there is anecdotal evidence, it points out that a movie which cannot pass the Bechdel Test is most likely to be met with either one of the following three responses: That it is either only one or two movies and not an equal sample to be used as a representative, or that this single movie had a proper outlined reason that was pre- planned and aimed not to pass. However, this ought to be one of the exceptional cases, or even the Bechdel Test is pointed out to be meaningless and arbitrary. Therefore, in this study the researcher will seek to see the role of women in the industry and especially in Australia. Suburban Mayhem is a movie produced in Australia in 2006. It was directed by Paul Goldman though it was written by Alice Bell. This movie features some of the best actors and actresses in the country and was produced by Jan Chapman. In addition, this movie was released and officially launched in Australia on the 26th of October 2006. In this movie, Katrina an actress of 19 years of age and is a single mother. She plans of getting away with a murder that she commits. In the setting of the movie, she lives in a neighborhood with blowjobs, fast cars, petty crimes and manicures. This lady is presented in the movie as a lady who does not stop at anything for what she wants to achieve including murder (Suburban mayhem 2006). Her father threatens to take her to the social services so that they could take her child away from her. This annoys Katrina who plans an action to wreak Suburban Mayhem to leave the neighborhood in shock. However, her actions make her very infamous among the members of the society in a way that leaves her also in a shock as she did not expect it. On the other hand, Jindabyne is a movie also produced in Australia in the same year of 2006. It was directed by Ray Lawrence though it was written by Raymond Carver and Beatrix Christian. This movie also features some of the best actors and actresses in the country including the likes of Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney. The movie was produced by Garry Charny, Catherine Jarman and Phillipa Bateman. In addition; this movie was released and officially launched in Australia on the 20th of July the same year (Australian Broadcasting Corporation et al 2010). In the movie, four young men Billy, Rocco, Carl and Stewart go on an annual trip in an isolated part of the country for fishing. At the area of fishing, they find a young girl’s body inside the river. The girl was brutally murdered by a man called Gregory who was an electrician. In addition it seems the girl was murdered because she was an aboriginal however, the men seem not to have noticed this. Consequently the men decide to go back and report the incidence however, since it is late in the evening they decide to spend the night and report the matter early in the morning. Early in the morning Stewart arises and contrary to their agreement, he decides to go fishing. He fortunately catches a very large fish which he takes to his friends to see. Upon seeing the size of the fish they all agree to go fishing first and report the matter of the girl later. They place the body of the girl securely at the banks of the river to prevent it from drowning. The men later report the incidence to the police and returns home later on Sunday evening. The men discuss the issue with their wives who open up some quarrels among them like Stewart and his wife. Stewart’s wife could not understand why they could leave the dead girl’s body and continue fishing. She says she could not understand how selfish they were to do that. However, the men defend themselves by saying that it could make no difference to the girl since she had no feelings as she was dead. Referring to the two movies, Australian movie, cinema and television industries seem to be faced by major issues on gender. In the context of Jindabyne, four men find a dead female body and go ahead fishing. This can be interpreted that the men decided to go fishing since the body was just of a little aboriginal girl. On the other hand some of their wives confront them for the action that they did. It seems the women are annoyed because they believe their men did this due to lack of respect to the girl child and their selfishness. Later the killer who is a male is not caught and this can be said due to the fact that he is a male. This is gender biasness (O'Regan 1996). In Suburban Mayhem, it is the girl child who is portrayed to be in the wrong. Katrina plans to kill due to the fact that the father threatens her that he will report her to the authorities. In this it depicts female sexuality to be monstrous and disturbing. In this film the young lady is portrayed as a monster who indiscriminate her gender to play the bad one of the movies (McFarlan et al 1999). Katrina uses a text message as a weapon of choice and becomes the suburban Mayhem maternal monster. In this, Katrina is portrayed to be vulnerable and young girl who has too much makeup. In addition, despite that Bailey is a toddler; Katrina does not shy off from dumping her daughter to the manicurist friend. In the movie, she is portrayed to be careless and goes away in her boots and miniskirt and waving a bottle to seduce her partner in crime. She persuades him later to kills her father if he loved her. In other scene she smokes marijuana in the presence of her child and even uses mascara on her hair for the purposes of convincing a police officer’s wife. Australia, in the movies is portrayed as a cursed land a land that is haunted. Film industry displays and helps to give a depiction of the area under focus. Most of the films in the continent of Australia have some of its past coming back to haunt the present. In the movie, Jindabyne a teacher shows a short clip about the history of the town in which the locals are seen to lament the houses that are to be used as sacrifices (Lawrence et al 2008). This is during the war ravaged times when more than 100000 soldiers and other strong workforce were forced to migrate from their war torn areas of Europe. The theme here portrays Australia as a badland and that the continent has a bad history and that it is not easy to mend it (Australian Film Commission & Australian Film Institute 1986). The fact that the murderer: Gregory is left wandering and free amid apologies and potentialities bring out a message of carelessness in the society and how haunted the society is in Jindabyne (The Jindabyne saga 1967). It is noted that the presence of the murderer in the wilderness means that there is more work to be accomplished in the badland and this suggests that the country requires a way to ensure their citizens don’t live in fear and that they are reassured total protection from the unruliness. This theme of badland haunts the land of jindabyne in that people have a negative attitude towards the land (Australian Film Commission 1993). In conclusion therefore, gender and badland themes in the Australian films are clearly set out from the two movies in that they both show gender disparity and also portray Australia as a badland in terms of crime and lack of proper law and order. The lack of uncovering of the killer of the little aboriginal girl and Katrina persuading a person to go and kill her own father is just a show of how a badland it is. Similarly, gender in Australia is an issue that is mostly addressed by the film industry since the traditional masculinity culture is not yet gone from the minds of the modern people of Australia. Masculinity in Australia as brought in these movies, persists in the form of the past it is rather transformed into a gender flexible and gender neutral arrangement. Consequently, the film industry has brought a proper depiction of life in the land of Australia and especially in the two themes of Gender and badlands (Australian Film Commission 1995). Reference list Australian Broadcasting Corporation., Enhance-TV (Firm)., Screen Australia., & Essential Media and Entertainment. (2010). The making of modern Australia. Neutral Bay, N.S.W.: EnhanceTV. Australian Film Commission. (1993). Australian film & television information: Industry overview. North Sydney: The Commission. Australian Film Commission. (1995). Australian film and television: Industry overview. Woolloomooloo, N.S.W: The Commission. Australian Film Commission. & Australian Film Institute. (1986). Australian film. Sydney: Australian Film Commission. Lawrence, R., Linney, L., & Carver, R. (2008). Jindabyne. Amsterdam: A-Film. McFarlane, B., Mayer, G., & Bertrand, I. (1999). The Oxford companion to Australian film. South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. O'Regan, T. (1996). Australian National Cinema. Hoboken: Routledge. Suburban mayhem. (2006). Australia: Icon Film Distribution [distributor. The Jindabyne saga. (1967). Cooma, N.S.W.: Monaro Pub. Co. Read More

On the other hand, Jindabyne is a movie also produced in Australia in the same year of 2006. It was directed by Ray Lawrence though it was written by Raymond Carver and Beatrix Christian. This movie also features some of the best actors and actresses in the country including the likes of Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney. The movie was produced by Garry Charny, Catherine Jarman and Phillipa Bateman. In addition; this movie was released and officially launched in Australia on the 20th of July the same year (Australian Broadcasting Corporation et al 2010).

In the movie, four young men Billy, Rocco, Carl and Stewart go on an annual trip in an isolated part of the country for fishing. At the area of fishing, they find a young girl’s body inside the river. The girl was brutally murdered by a man called Gregory who was an electrician. In addition it seems the girl was murdered because she was an aboriginal however, the men seem not to have noticed this. Consequently the men decide to go back and report the incidence however, since it is late in the evening they decide to spend the night and report the matter early in the morning.

Early in the morning Stewart arises and contrary to their agreement, he decides to go fishing. He fortunately catches a very large fish which he takes to his friends to see. Upon seeing the size of the fish they all agree to go fishing first and report the matter of the girl later. They place the body of the girl securely at the banks of the river to prevent it from drowning. The men later report the incidence to the police and returns home later on Sunday evening. The men discuss the issue with their wives who open up some quarrels among them like Stewart and his wife.

Stewart’s wife could not understand why they could leave the dead girl’s body and continue fishing. She says she could not understand how selfish they were to do that. However, the men defend themselves by saying that it could make no difference to the girl since she had no feelings as she was dead. Referring to the two movies, Australian movie, cinema and television industries seem to be faced by major issues on gender. In the context of Jindabyne, four men find a dead female body and go ahead fishing.

This can be interpreted that the men decided to go fishing since the body was just of a little aboriginal girl. On the other hand some of their wives confront them for the action that they did. It seems the women are annoyed because they believe their men did this due to lack of respect to the girl child and their selfishness. Later the killer who is a male is not caught and this can be said due to the fact that he is a male. This is gender biasness (O'Regan 1996). In Suburban Mayhem, it is the girl child who is portrayed to be in the wrong.

Katrina plans to kill due to the fact that the father threatens her that he will report her to the authorities. In this it depicts female sexuality to be monstrous and disturbing. In this film the young lady is portrayed as a monster who indiscriminate her gender to play the bad one of the movies (McFarlan et al 1999). Katrina uses a text message as a weapon of choice and becomes the suburban Mayhem maternal monster. In this, Katrina is portrayed to be vulnerable and young girl who has too much makeup.

In addition, despite that Bailey is a toddler; Katrina does not shy off from dumping her daughter to the manicurist friend. In the movie, she is portrayed to be careless and goes away in her boots and miniskirt and waving a bottle to seduce her partner in crime. She persuades him later to kills her father if he loved her. In other scene she smokes marijuana in the presence of her child and even uses mascara on her hair for the purposes of convincing a police officer’s wife. Australia, in the movies is portrayed as a cursed land a land that is haunted.

Film industry displays and helps to give a depiction of the area under focus. Most of the films in the continent of Australia have some of its past coming back to haunt the present.

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