TOMORROW WHEN THE WAR BEGAN

Australia, 2010, 103 minutes, Colour.
Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd- Wood, Lincoln Lewis, Deniz Akdeniz, Phoebe Tonkin, Chris Pang, Ashleigh Cummings, Andrew Ryan, Colin Friels.
Directed by Stuart Beattie.

A book that has been read widely through school syllabus listing – but one that has been very popular, a good choice for a movie. John Marsden has written a Tomorrow series of books (1993-1999) as well as a series about his central character, Ellie, The Ellie Chronicles (2003-2006).. And this seems to have paid off as the opening week in Australia saw box-office of over four million dollars. The readers must have wanted to see how the film turned out, and don’t seem to have been disappointed.

Writer and director, Stuart Beattie, who started writing screenplays at home in the 1990s but then found success in Hollywood with Pirates of the Caribbean, Collateral, G.I. Joe and other action films, inserts a line in his film when one character has been reading (yes, reading) Miles Franklin’s My Brilliant Career and her friend asks her if she likes it. Better than the film, she says. And the friend replies that the film is never as good as the book!

It’s very much an older teenage movie as it opens. In the country town of Wirrawee (filmed in the Hunter Valley with excursions into the Blue Mountains), some of the high schoolers want to go camping during the show weekend. They spend some time organising seven for the trip. For the boys, there is one of Greek descent, another Asian. The girls are much of a muchness, although one is wealthy and pampered, another is devoutly religious. One is in a relationship with the third boy. The leader is Ellie (Caitlin Stasey, convincing). While on their trip, they chatter and banter, with some touches of the hormones, and the visual style is often that of television commercials for this age audience. No problems in the target audience identifying with the characters. There is the jock (Lincoln Lewis) who proves himself a touch cowardly but redeems himself. There is the Greek clown (in the Australian humorous tradition of Wogboys) who has more in him than smart remarks and pratfalls (Deniz Akdeniz) and there is the intelligent young student who works in his family’s Asian restaurant (Chris Pang).

Robyn (Ashleigh Cummings) is dominated by her religious father (some Catholic images in their house) but has to make some moral decisions as the group becomes more involved in the war. Fiona has a dominating, image-driven mother who tends to put her down with the result that she is more sheltered and ignorant than everyone thinks (Phoebe Tonkin is persuasive). British Rachel Hurd- Wood is Ellie’s best friend, Corrie.

We know that there is a war as the film opens with Ellie speaking to camera and narrating what has happened. What has happened is an invasion from a neighbouring Asian country, the adults rounded up and patrols moving around the town as well as planes flying overhead and helicopter surveillance.

The bewildered youngsters, and the audience with them, take step by step to find out what has happened. Ultimately, there are some explanations given as to how the invasion was able to be a surprise (to do with ports, container ships and weapons).

The film improves when they discover the war. At least, it moves from a teenage movie popular at the multiplex to a more complex and interesting story of a group of young people, inexperienced but using some savvy, worried by the dilemmas they have to face (including killing the enemy), moving into resistance mode (and joined by a stoner, Chris (Andy Ryan) who has been left behind by his parents). They certainly do some heroic manoeuvres (and there are some entertaining garbage collection truck and huge petrol tanker chases, expert effects and pyrotechnics), but they also make mistakes (especially with a suspenseful episode where their plan is in danger when mobiles have been switched off and Ellie and Fiona become absorbed in girl talk).

Very few adults appear in the film, some parents and, later, the local dentist helping the wounded Lee, played by Colin Friels.

The plot resembles Red Dawn, a 1984 movie with Patrick Swayze about youngsters forming resistance in an invasion. It has been re-made this year in the US (with Australians Chris Hemsworth and Isabel Lucas in the cast). But, Tomorrow is firmly Australian in locations (and flags), accents and the always topical issue of whether the continent, with its resources, can accommodate a greater population (sustainable or not) within the context of the masses of people in neighbouring Asian countries.

There is also a topical message inserted at one point. Just as we might be thinking that this is what it might have been like had the Japanese landed in 1942 and taken over the land, Ellie notices a fresco on a wall with the British authorities taking over and a glimpse of aboriginal people watching this invasion with puzzlement.

1. The popularity of the novel series? The orientation towards a youth readership? Curriculum for schools? Adaptation to film? Satisfying the fans? The title?

2. The niche audience, teens, the characters, interest in the characters and their lives, identifying with them? Their talk, preoccupations, school, parents and home? Permissions, family order, change, feeling freer?

3. The Hunter Valley locations, the town, the countryside, the shops, the restaurants, the hair boutique, the local show? The countryside? Farms? A realistic sense of the town?

4. The bush, the contrast, the Blue Mountains, ruggedness and beauty, Hell? The ironic name? The young people and their appreciation?

5. The introduction to the characters, Ellie talking to the camera, her talking about the incidents, the narration, the flashbacks? The resumption of Ellie’s talk at the end, the continuing fight?

6. Ellie, at the farm, her work, the tractor? Her parents, the meals, getting permission, to take the car? The sketch of her parents, love for Ellie, the family, the issue of the car, permissions? Ellie and her friendship with Corrie, their discussions, Corrie and her relationship with Kevin, love, sex? The decision to go camping? The decision to choose friends to go with them?

7. Fiona, her mother, at the hairdresser’s, the dominant mother, Fiona sheltered, ignorant about practical matters, her accent? Her mother and the beauty contests, putting her daughter down? Fiona pleased to go on the trip, her not having boyfriends? Her taking the makeup kit?

8. The contrast with Robyn, the religious background, her stern father, her using religion to persuade her father to go, her love for nature, her principles, the issue of morality and killing? The Catholic icons and statues in the house?

9. Homer, his Greek background, the town lout, going into prison, getting out, taunting the police, taking the brakes off the car, his jokey manner, clowning around, pratfalls?

10. Lee, at the restaurant, his Asian background, the family? Ellie liking him? Inviting him, race issues? His Australian accent? The glimpse of his parents, their lack of English? Their work in the restaurant? Going camping, enjoying it, the walks, nature, their talk, the planes flying over?

11. The return, the empty house, the puzzle, the people and their absence, no television information, the phones down, going from house to house?

12. Their strategies, waiting, the rendezvous time, Ellie, Corrie and Kevin going together? Discovering the truth, the adults at the fairground? Kevin and his fear running? Ellie and her attack, the gun, the shooting? The change in her?

13. The occupation of the town, the grounds, the anonymous Asian enemy? The lines, the shooting, the complaints? The adults in fear? The military, young soldiers, men and women? Their pursuing the teenagers? Getting the trucks, on foot, the helicopters, the lights?

14. Decision-making, Ellie and her emerging leadership, Homer and his growing strengths, trust? Lee and Robyn, his being wounded, the dentist tending to him, the discussions with the dentist, the risks? The group and their growing strength? Fiona and her apprehensiveness, that she would scream?

15. The car, the garbage truck, eluding the pursuers?

16. The group in the house, the searchlights, Homer and his shooting? Their having to leave?

17. Their going to Chris’s house, talking about him, his being there, stoned, the information about the adults? His sleeping while on guard? Ellie’s anger? His helping?

18. The information about the invasion, the container ships, the weapons, the attack? The plausibility? The enemy getting the ports? The reason for the invasion – Australia, its vastness, resources, smaller population? Asian crowdedness?

19. The issue of the bridge, the dentist and information about the others who tried to destroy it? Their decision to destroy the bridge?

20. The plan, the various tasks, each group, the girl talk in the van, the tanker? Fiona and her heroics? Chris and the lighting of the fire? Robyn and her shooting? Corrie being wounded, Kevin caring for her?

21. The success, the destruction of the bridge?

22. The group banding together, their inexperience, the effect of the action that they had taken, heroics, values, relationships? Continuing the fight into the future?