September
Australian |
| sat 06 sept | 12.30pm | cinema 1* |
|
Director/writer - Peter Carstairs
Ed Anderson (Xavier Samuel) and Paddy Parker (Clarence John Ryan) are best friends, growing up on a farm in the Western Australian wheat belt in 1968. Ed's father Rick (Kieran Darcy-Smith) runs the farm with the help of Paddy and his father Michael (Kelton Pell), who have been friends with Rick since childhood. The Andersons are white, the Parkers are Aboriginal. Like most employers of black labour, Rick Anderson provides food and a basic house for Michael Parker and his wife Leena (Lisa Flanagan), rather than wages.
The two families are mutually dependant, but this is about to change: the government has announced that all Aboriginal labour must be paid wages. When Michael inquires about this, Rick tells him that he can't afford it: if he pays wages, he'll also have to charge rent. The close friendship between the two sons also changes when Ed meets a girl, his new neighbour Amelia Hamilton (Mia Wasikowska). Paddy wants to become like his idol Lionel Rose, the best new boxer in Australia. As his friendship with Ed breaks apart, Paddy decides his future is elsewhere.
* This screening includes Directors Chat with Peter Carstairs.