SWEET DREAMERS

Australia, 1982, 96 minutes, Colour.
Richard Moir, Sue Smithers.
Directed by Tom Cowan.

Sweet Dreamers was written and directed by photographer-director Tom Cowan (The Office Picnic, Promised Woman, Journey Among Women). He has received great acclaim and awards for his work as a cameraman in the Australian film renaissance.

However, he did not receive much acclaim (rather the opposite) for this film. It is semi-autobiographical - and reflects Cowan's interest in the difference between Australian attitudes as expressed by expatriates in London and the reality. This was the theme of his early '70s short film Australia-Felix?.

The plot focuses on a film-maker who has ambitions to work in Australia, highlight Australian themes. He encounters an actress in London. They live together and fall in love. They have a friend who has all kinds of theories about film-making. On their return to Australia, they don't find film-making as easy as they thought, the pressures of the industry, financial considerations as well as artistic loom. The material is the familiar discussions about Australian film-making, popular and government support in the '70s and '80s.

However, the film fails in its dialogue - it seems quite unreal and often has been greeted by audiences with laughter. Sue Smithers is not particularly persuasive as the actress who shares the director's life. Richard Moir, a competent actor, does his best with the central role. Ultimately, the film turns in on itself - far from making the high-flown film he imagined, the director settles for making the film which the audience is actually watching. Crew and cast join in at the end of the film.