BLACKROCK

Australia, 1997, 90 minutes, Colour.
Laurence Breuls, Linda Cropper, Simon Lyndon, Rebecca Smart, David Field, Chris Haywood.
Directed by Steven Vidler.

In the early 90s, Newcastle, NSW, was shocked by the rape and death of a young teenager. Playwright, Nick Enright (who came from nearby Maitland) was invited to write a theatre piece intended to help local audiences to come to grips with what had happened and the many different responses of individuals, younger and older, to the tragedy, responses that had not been vented: anger, shame, guilt, denial. The title was The Property of the Clan.

What emerged was a play which toured New South Wales and was used in schools for discussion about social issues and values. However, it seemed wiser to move away from the actual characters and create both a parallel and different story which would enable audiences to reflect without making judgments on what had happened in Newcastle. From this emerged Blackrock, the title coming from the beachside suburban location of the play.

Steven Vidler makes his feature film debut as a director after a successful acting career. He has made the film his own, relying on images, especially the sweep of the ocean and waves, as well as the naturalism of the suburban homes and streets, to make it a different experience from a play.

While the film focuses of the young people, the performance of Linda Cropper, according to producer David Elfick, was so commanding that it gave an unanticipated strength to the portrayal of the parents. Which means that the intended audience, 15-25 year olds, as well as the parent audience will be involved.

Enright and Vidler portray the teenagers as `happy-go-lucky', keen on surf and parties, spasmodically interested in school, under peer pressure with girls trying to be flirtatious, boys swaggering, and a looseness of values (except, perhaps, mateship) which makes them seem on the surface, amoral. During a party, a young girl and her boyfriend go down to the beach for sex, three boys come across them and rape the girl. Later, she is found dead.

The focus of the film is on a teenager who witnesses the rape and does nothing - he both excuses himself and blames himself with the phrase, `I didn't do anything'. The film, then, is his moral journey: relationship with his mother, friendship, witnessing the attack on the girl, brooding, avoiding making a moral decision, but finally having to act.

Blackrock should prove a help to parents and teachers who want to raise personal and values issues with teenagers who live (or who imagine they would like to live) the lifestyle shown in the film.

1.The film based on true events? An interpretation of events and motives? Dramatising responses to the events?

2.The film based on a play, the play exploring the attitudes of the participants, the witnesses? The fictionalising of the events? The opening out of the play, images, locations? The range of the score?

3.The Newcastle locations, the surfing credits? The use of the sea, beaches, surf? Rocks and cliffs? The suburb: the ferry, the wharves, the streets? Homes, school, hospital, cemetery? The party locations? Authentic atmosphere? Realistic and stylised?

4.The editing, pace? The musical score - the range of songs, performers, the significance of the lyrics?

5.The structure of the film: a few days, Jared and his family, his mother, Ricko and his return, the planning for the party, the party itself, the rape on the beach, Jared witnessing it, the investigation, Jared and his reactions, the truth, Diane's story? Their all coming together at the end?

6.The picture of youth culture of the '90s? Australian background, the Australian cities, suburbs? The role of parents, their relationship with their teenage children, knowing what they were doing, role models, values? Supervision and lack of supervision? Youth at school, values, lack of values, partying, `mucking around', drink, drugs, sex, violence? Mateship? Relationships between girls? Between young males? Their angers, accepting or non-accepting the truth? The potential? The film and its critique of the youth culture?

7.The focus on parents: their relationship to their children, knowing them, knowing about them, the children lying to their parents? The parents' angers, cutting off their children, alienating them, trying to love them, inadequate in expression? The range of class differences amongst the families? The variety of jobs? Mixing - the children at the same school, partying together? Their own relationships, divorces, affairs? The parents' values - and their ability to communicate, inability? Adequate and inadequate role models?

8.The picture of the school, the headmaster and his speech after the funeral, morale, the question of the memorial tree? His presence at the funeral? The values of school, the role of education, education and collaboration with parents?

9.The picture of the police, investigations, the headquarters, the interrogations? Their authority, their styles? The personalities of the police? The quality of their investigation, unearthing the truth? Pursuing Ricko - and his death?

10.Jared as the emotional centre of the film: his age, experience, school experience, friends? Ricko and his having looked after him when he was young? His relationship with his mother? Strains? Not talking deeply, his continually going out, going surfing, avoiding her? Ricko's return, bringing him home, his mother not wanting him in the house? The plan for the party? Rachel and the photos? Ricko as a role model, his father and his absence, not being a role model - and his later going to him and not even communicating? Rachel unable to go to the party, his decision to go? The party itself, hosting, the fight? His walking along the beach, wanting to think things through? His watching the rape, his disbelief, his inability to move, his not offering any help? His lies? The nightmares and his remembering Tracy and her appeal for help? His inability to talk to his mother? Going to the police station, the questions, the lies? His moods and his feelings of guilt? The funeral and his response? The anger about the planting of the tree? Anger with Rachel, inconsiderate about her experience, later apologising? Going to her home? At his job, Tracy's father coming in, his offering sympathy? The discussions with Ricko, the gift of the surfboard? The gradual hearing of the truth? The police interrogation, his wanting to tell the truth, going to Ricko, Ricko's death? His decision to leave home, his mother's illness and his going to the hospital, inability to communicate with her, with his father? His taking the truck, in the cylinders, Rachel coming and talking? His inability to see his future? Going home, the clash with his mother, her staying in the truck and demanding an apology? Her telling him about the gravestone? His ultimately going to the cemetery and helping them clean the headstone? The nature of his moral journey? His interior understanding of what he had done? His ability to face it? His future?

11.Diane: her age, her experience, the break-up of the marriage, her love for her son, going to the hospital, the interviews, at work, her keeping quiet about what had happened? Taking the brochures home - and Jarad later finding them? Her relationship with Jared, his disregard for her, her inability to find time to talk to him? Going out, the comedy with the video of Terms of Endearment? The night at the pokies, meeting Geoff, staying the night with him - his coming later and his not able to comprehend why she had rejected him? Her defensiveness about her cancer? Her going to visit her husband, concern about Jared, his promising to do something? Her reaction to the death, her going to the parents, loving support, hosing the media? The operation? Her doubts about Jared? The clash with him and his leaving the house, her getting into the truck and demanding the apology? The end and her offering him the chance to come to terms with what had happened and himself? Her qualities as a mother, qualities as a woman?

12.Ricko and the memories of the past, his looking after Jared, the role model? His seeing himself as a hoon? His abilities at surfing? The return, his not being allowed to stay at Diane's place? His years away, the truck, the talk? The celebration? His attitude towards women? Casual sex? Making the surfboard, the gift to Jared? Gradually telling the truth? His lack of moral sense? His vindictiveness towards Tracy? Sexuality, violence? The motivation? His expecting Jared to lie for him? Their final talk? The police? His going to the cliff, killing himself?

13.The boys and their behaviour at the party, taking the girls for granted, the drinking, the rape, the consequences, their arrest? Fighting, peer pressure? Australian suburban macho presuppositions?

14.The girls, peer pressure, the make-up and the dresses, flirting? Cherie and her deceiving her mother? The party, sex, the reaction to the brutality? The grief, the funeral, the planting of the tree - Rachel's initiative? The effect on her of being late for the party, being under age, the pressure of her parents? Her wanting to plant the tree?

15.Tracy, her age, lack of experience, the sex, her death? The repetition of the sequence in Jared's dreams and her asking for help? Her parents and their grief? The reaction of the media? The gravestone and `Slut' being written on it? Cherie wanting to wash it down? Helping Diane? Jared coming to help?

16.The portrait of the various parents? Tracy's parents, Cherie's parents - and their interviews with the police?

17.Rachel, her age, devotion to Jared? Not going to the party and staying with her father? The background of his photography, the models - the people at the photography session, the models themselves, the poses, the photographers? Double standards? Rachel going to the party, searching for Jared, coming across Tracy and its effect on her? Jared's insensitivity? Her going to see him after he left home? The possibilities of a reconciliation?

18.Cherie and her anger, her mother thinking she would be looney? Her bashing the truck? At the end the grave?

19.The media, their intrusion? The helicopter shots of the funeral?

20.The film's comment on Australian life, Australian suburban life, family, youth?