FIGHTING BACK

Australia, 1982, 101 minutes, Colour.
Lewis Fitz- Gerald, Paul Smith, Kris Mc Quade, Caroline Gillmer, Robin Nevin, Wyn Roberts, Ben Gabriel, Gillian Jones, Maurie Fields.
Directed by Michael Caulfield.

Fighting Back is a slice of Melbourne life, 1970s and 1980s style, focusing on a disturbed young boy, played very well by Paul Smith. The film is based on a book by John Embling and Lewis Fitz- Gerald portrays Embling in the film. He runs a centre for the boys, is very good as a father figure and as a counsellor. The film shows the attempts for helping young children and the difficulties that adults face as well as the struggles of the children themselves.

There is a very strong supporting cast with Kris Mc Quade earning a best supporting actress Australian Film Institute award for the year.

1. The impact of the film? Earnestness, seriousness? Entertainment value? Topical for the '80s?

2. Topical and relevant? Consciousness-raising about youth, unemployment, education, family, social work and care? The film as a moralising fable about Australian society of the '80s? The quality of the observation? Social observation, personal? The values presented and criticised? The remedies? How authentic, credible, simplistic? Models of education and social care – stances to be taken, strong measures or diplomacy and personal sensitive treatment?

3. The authentic atmosphere (the original story transposed to Sydney): the Botany Bay suburbs and their use, homes, streets, hotels, cemetery? The authentic schools? The contrast with the harbour and the zoo? The film highlighting details of the locations to give an authentic feel? The editing – especially for the fight and conflict sequences? The musical score and its range: AC-DC songs, opening strong music, the quieter emotional music for Tom's development?

4. The significance of the title? The original story being called Tom? The visual impact of the title – on Tom's part, on John's part? Who was Tom fighting, why? Who was John fighting, why? About what? The teachers and their fighting back?

5. How well did the film portray the youngsters: the initial bike riding, Tom's crash, the gangs in the streets, drug-taking, smoking, beer-drinking? The organised quick sex at the wharf? Cafes, coffee shops? Derelict homes and sleeping out? Stealing? Behaviour, language, clothes? An authentic atmosphere of inner-city suburbs?

6. The contrast with school: the classes, uniforms, expected good behaviour, the tests and the relevance of the curriculum, student inability to answer questions because of reading problems and need for remedial work, the angry confrontations with teachers? The contrast between the progressive teachers and the remedial teachers and the old style teachers? The tech. teachers – and the comment made about their own education, status and using the only models that they knew? Payne and his use of the strap, Tom's confronting him and his aggressive reaction? The teacher who went to the window during the staff meeting in exasperation (echoing Tom's behaviour)? The administration – meetings without the headmaster's knowledge, the headmaster taking action? The aggression of the staff – and their behaviour towards one another in the staff-room, attention at staff meetings? The importance of discipline and violent means of education? Suspicions of creativity? The contrast with the more affluent school – the corridors, the quiet, the polite students and their greetings, the art-work in the headmaster's room, etc.? An authentic picture of contemporary education systems?

7. The difficulties for disturbed students: difficulties of study, felt ignorance, pressures, inability to cope? The lack of support from family, parents? Difficulties at home? Tom as needing remedial help? The importance of his memories and their symbols: his father bashing his mother, the children having to watch and join in, the importance of the boy in the home and Tom's revulsion about being locked away, contact? The promised horse and his father killing the horse – and the spilt blood? His inability to write – yet his ability to speak, to draw?

8. The effect of the past on Tom and the effects of the trauma in his violence? The effect of witnessing the bashing and his expressed hatred of his father, seeking him out to kill him, his antagonism towards his mother? His inability to trust and his statements on broken promises? His expecting desertion and betrayal? His sullenness in the home, the fight and clash with Kate about the television, his erratic behaviour with his friends? His inability to trust – and the surly defiance, the shrug, the extreme violent kicking, the statements about killing, the going berserk and kicking, breaking windows, overturning desks, pulling chairs from under kids, etc.? John Embling's making him exhausted – and helping him break out of the mistrust, opening up, talking, the possibility of sharing, the experience of affirmation? The possibility of his not being permanently damaged at that age by his experiences?

9. The details of Tom's behaviour: as a boy his age, surliness in class, the riding of the bike and his walking away, his comment about it being his life, his reaction to his mother and his violence towards her, the violence towards the teacher? The importance of the sequence with Payne and the giving of the strap and his running away? The police picking him up and returning him to school? The sex sequence – and his comment about going first? The film's point about his attitude towards the girl? His truanting? The accusation of stolen goods? John and enabling him to share something of the truth? His shaking him about the stolen goods? The contrast with his mother's accusations? The build-up to the court appearance and his subsequent fear? The experience of trust meeting Embling, the walk to the shop, giving back the change, the drawing of the pessimistic interpretation of the song and his screwing up the page, talking about John and Mary at home, the car-rides, the confrontation about the litter, the cemetery sequence, the confrontation and his going berserk and then helping John with the glass after the exhaustion, his being taken from the derelict home, the court sequence and John's support, talking in the car and telling him more and more about the past experience, the shared joy at the Murray and the fishing, his beginning to smile, the final telling of the story about the killing of the horse and his breaking free?

10. The character of John Embling: the factual basis of the film, his comment about being a middle-class do gooder – how true? The background of his study and his experience of the reality of dealing with kids? The film's not explaining his motives in any detail, his own personal needs and what made him tick? His arrival in the school, hopes, seeming naively? Talking with the kids – the class and the interpretation of the record? The drawing? The bond with Mary and helping her with the remedial children? The friendship with the older teacher and talks with him at the zoo, on the school verandah while he himself disciplined the kids? His advice about checking with the headmaster? Mary's experience and the effect on John? Payne and the strappings? The reaction in the staff-room? Hostilities? Nary and himself confronting the tech. staff at the meeting? The support of the headmaster? The visit to Rosemary and seeing her in action? Her advice about Tom? His decision to visit Mrs Goodwood, the talk, the cup of tea, the worry about truanting? Mrs Goodwood explaining something of the background yet the clashes, her inability to trust? Her considering him a young teacher? His- patience, rescuing Tom from the derelict house? The suddenness of his transfer – his moving to the other school, the discussion with the teacher and the inspector, his resigning? His need to be a social worker rather than a teacher? The cut-and-dried threats to him about giving up his teaching? The support of Rosemary? Going on the camp – the humour as well as the exasperation? His exasperation with Tom about the fishing rods? The court sequence and the probation? The suggestion for the trip along the Murray – the shared experience, fishing, swimming, hearing his story – and the emotional effect on being trusted? The background of the talks in the car by the river? Some reviewers considered the characterisation of Embling as sanctimonious – how just is this criticism? A real character, credible character'

11. Mrs Goodwood and Kris McQuade's performance and her AFI Award? The past and the violence she suffered in the flashbacks? Her caution at the door, her clean flat, Kate and the television, her willingness to talk to Embling but her considering him a young teacher? Explanation of the past? Her going down to the school concerned about Tom's absence? Her hard attitudes towards him, loving him while he was away, fighting him when he was present? Her anger with him before the court case? The happy ending and the discussion about the Murray trip? A picture of a bewildered and hurt suburban mother? The sketch of Kate and her clashes with Tom?

12. The portrait of the various boys: the gang, sharing interests, activities? Mike and his concern about Tom in the derelict house? The fat boy and his answers in class, sex at the camp? The wagbashing outside the hotel? Smoking, drinking, sex at the wharf? Bikes? Lack of interest in study – listlessness in the classroom? Embling trying to get them to listen to music, to draw, to respond?

13. The sketch of the police – bringing Tom back to school, the inspector and the interrogation about the stolen fishing rods? The concerned magistrate and her judgment?

14. The sketch of Payne and the tech. teachers? The strapping of Tom? The behaviour at the staff meeting? Attitudes towards Mary and John? Using the methods they knew to discipline the kids? The older teacher and his sympathy but his resignation to old patterns and his keeping the kids in discipline?

15. Mary, her ideas, her long years in the school, patience, programming, exasperation with the tech. teachers, the support of the headmaster? Her listening to John and supporting him?

16. The support of Rosemary? Her running the coffee shop, stopping fights, enjoying the kids, helping John understand his situation, the running of the camp, her exasperation there? Her joining John in his work?

17. A satisfying picture of social issues: authentic, real? The needs of Australian society? The qualities needed for working with youth? A picture of hope?