THE MORE THINGS CHANGE

Australia, 1986, 90 minutes, Colour.
Judy Morris, Barry Otto, Victoria Longley, Lewis Fitz Gerald, Peter Carroll.
Directed by Robyn Nevin.

The More Things Change is a fine contemporary Australian story of family, mother (Judy Morris) a professional travelling to a city job, father (Barry Otto - Bliss) trying, not effectively, to run a farm. There is also their 3-year-old son. To manage, they employ a naive pregnant girl to look after the boy. While cliches might seem inevitable, the film avoids them. It is nicely unpredictable. Victoria Longley is splendid as the pregnant girl and the audience sees her blossoming through her experience.

Victorian countryside locations are beautiful. The film is especially strong from the contribution of women: Jill Robb (Careful He Might Hear You) as producer, Moya Wood as writer, stage director and cinema actress Robyn Nevin as director.

An enjoyable and interesting film? Acclaim?

1. A contemporary story, an atmosphere of authenticity? Panavision photography: Melbourne and the city, offices, the markets? The beauty of the green countryside, mountains and paddocks? The house? The contrast of the two worlds? The musical score and its moods?

2. Familiar material, the possibility of cliche but the film being unpredictable? Audience involvement? The inevitability of the ending?

3. The title and themes of love, marriage, children? Comparing and contrasting the two couples? Older and younger? The old and the new? Success, mistakes, failures?

4. The portrait of Connie and typical fortyish couple, their experiences, marriage, jobs, money, the farm, their son? The differing attitudes towards life? The farm and working it, Lex at home, Nick and his playing, dangers of being hurt? Lex trying to manage? Connie and her career, friends, the long drive to the city and back, selling the vegetables at the market? Enough? The toll on her? Growing tension? Loving, giving?

5. Connie and her going to work, chic style, her relationship with the staff, her editorial work? Authors like Rollo and the types that she had to deal with? Her boss? outings, meals, responsibility? Taking the vegetables to market and emerging in her fashionable dress? The driving and arriving late home at night. Her love for Nick? Worrying e.g. about the bath? Love for Lex? Their warmth together? Their fights? Chasing the cattle after getting out of bed? Lex and his easygoing style, at home, going out to town, patterns of irresponsibility, the attitudes of his family, the migrant background, optimism? Sociable with friends? The visitors, picnics? the money crisis, failure?

6. His hopes about the cattle, buying them? The decision about Geraldine? A credible set-up? The criteria for the girl they employed? Geraldine as gawky, at the office, the interview with Connie, the drive home and her nervousness, the house and meeting Nick, her room, late up for breakfast? Her inexperience? The background to her pregnancy: the party, pregnancy, a child, her mother not knowing? Barry and his support (and the child not being his but his willing to adopt it)? Her phone calls to her mother, to Barry? Connie and Lex laughing at her gently? Her getting used to Nick? The gradual change, playing with Nick, the games, bath etc.? Connie sensitive that Geraldine was becoming the mother figure? Her talks with Geraldine? At the house with Lex? Barry's arrival? Their discussing the situation (and Barry's disdain for the old couple)? The decision to have the baby but adopt it? The wedding plans? Geraldine growing brighter, more competent? Her hearing the fights between Lex and Connie then seeing their laughter? The passing of time, the giving birth, the wedding, the honeymoon, the decision about the child, the hospital and the baby and retrieving it? Letting everybody know the truth? Setting out on a new life?

7. Barry as a decent man, country background, ideas, looking down on Lex, staying overnight, his talking with Geraldine, intimacy with her, genuine? The wedding, the honeymoon, the adoption?

8. Nick as a young child, on the farm, looked after by his parents, the opening sequence in the bath? Dangers with tools and machines? Playing? Geraldine and the friendship, sharing together, the awkwardness in his blurting things out e.g. at the wedding?

9. Rollo as author, type, the arts? The secretary and friends? The gawky secretary and Connie not sacking her? The boss and his impositions? The world of professionals?

10. Lex's family and the migrant background, sharing, enjoyment? Geraldine's family and fussiness? Glimpses of Australian styles and values?

11. A film laced with humour: at home, the cattle, Geraldine?

12. A film laced with sadness: Geraldine and her experience, naivety, Conn and Lex not coping at home, the pain of the ending and separation?

13. A film of gentle insight, emotion? Australian touch?