LAKE MUNGO
Australia, 2008, 87 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Joel Anderson.
Lake Mungo is an interesting Australian contribution to the particular genre established in popular mentalities with The Blair Witch Project and its successes.
This is fiction masquerading as fact. Instead of the horror styles and hand-camerawork of The Blair Witch Project, this film by contrast works as a television special, a kind of 60 Minutes report on incidents in the town of Ararat as well as a visit of the schoolchildren to Lake Mungo in south-western New South Wales. There are plenty of interviews, talking heads. There is investigative journalism. There is a drama insofar as a death takes place, the effect on the family, on friends. There is a focus on a disc jockey who also serves as a kind of medium and psychological consulter. There are also the police and the investigations.
The film perhaps should not be described as horror (as it was at some festivals) because that would disappoint the horror addicts. Rather, it is a psychological drama, an exploration of themes – and moving into the paranormal and the possibility of ghosts. There are some twists, especially when the son of the family confesses to doctoring photos so that his dead sister is in them. However, the film also suggests that she really is appearing to some people and hovering as a ghost. It also suggests that she was disturbed towards the end of her life, had been abused sexually by neighbours but kept this to herself, was in possession of a tape which the neighbours wanted to get back, foresaw herself as a ghost and anticipated her death by drowning.
The cast is particularly good in persuading us that they are real people being interviewed. Steve Jodrell (director of such films as The Buck’s Party as well as Tudawali) is effective as the disc jockey therapist.
The film was made and around Ararat, has an authentic feel about it. It actually compares much more favourably with some of the films appearing from the United States at this time, especially the two paranormal activity films.
1. The film as fiction presented as fact? The effect on the audience? The credibility of the characters and events? Audiences believing that this actually happened?
2. The influence of The Blair Witch Project, the creation of a television documentary, research, interviews?
3. The creative look at the situation, the television reports, the highlighting of the mystery, the suggestion of ghosts, images in photos, Ray and his work at the radio station, his talk about the other world? The sudden twist about Matt and his altering the photos? Ray and the revelation that he was counselling Alice? The revelation of the tape, the sexual abuse by the neighbours, the effect on Alice’s parents? Their anger? The visit of the students to Lake Mungo, recording on the mobile phone? The return, the exorcism, so to speak, for the parents? And yet the ghostly presence of Alice remaining?
4. The effect of names and dates, the look of fact?
5. The situation in Ararat, the family, their life in the town, the family at home? Going to the lake? The picnic? The drowning and their reaction? The search for the body, its later discovery? June and her inability to accept her daughter’s death? Audiences identifying with their grief? With the situation?
6. How well did the film develop the characters of the parents, giving their background, seeing them at home, June at work? Keeping to herself? Her parents and their being interviewed, their attitude towards June? June as quiet, not accepting the death, her husband and the interviews, her bond with him? The speculations about what had happened? How interesting the explanations? Matt and his interpretation of the events? His bond with his sister?
7. The various girlfriends being interviewed, their types, close to Alice, their puzzles, explanations and interpretations? Their not knowing anything about the abuse from the neighbours?
8. The photos, the ghostly appearance, the reaction of people? The doubts? The wanting an exhumation? Matt, his confessing to doctoring the photos, showing how he did these processes? The couple and their photos? The other photographer and his photographing Matt instead of Alice? The videos?
9. Ray and his work, his beliefs, his presence on the radio, his listeners, the interactions? His offering to help? Comforting June? June turning on him when she discovered that Alice was going for therapy? His taking Matt away and helping him to deal with the situation?
10. Their leaving the camera on in the house while they were away, the glimpse of the neighbours – coming in to retrieve the videotape of the sexual encounter?
11. Audiences seeing the tape, the sexual behaviour, its effect?
12. Ray and his continued help, June upset, revealing the truth? The flashbacks of the sessions? Audiences accepting these as sessions rather than re-enactments? The comment that Alice was like her mother? Exploring Alice’s character?
13. Alice and the trip to Lake Mungo, the other girls, the holiday atmosphere? The phone, taking the photos? The parents and others watching these sequences? Alice and her going out, burying the things in the desert, Alice seeing the ghost, seeing herself but not realising it was herself? Her fears, foreboding about her death?
14. June and Ray, their going to Lake Mungo, going through the landscapes? Trying to find what Alice buried? The parallel with Alice’s understanding of what had happened, June not perceiving the similarities? Alice and the sense of her mother? Sense of her death? June and her husband able to let go? Accepting Alice’s death?
15. The cumulative effect of the television style, the range of interviews, the building up of the picture of what happened, the drama, the family at home, the style of Lake Mungo and the revisiting, the eerie photos and the video?
16. The resolution, seemingly back to normal – but Alice still hovering as a ghostly presence?
