48 SHADES
Australia, 2006, 92 minutes, Colour.
Richard Wilson, Robin Mc Leavy, Emma Lung, Nicholas Donaldson, Michael Booth.
Directed by Daniel Lapaine.
48 Shades is based on Nick Earls’ novel 48 Shades of Brown. It has also been adapted for theatre. The film was written by director Daniel Lapaine with Nick Earls appearing briefly as the deli owner.
The film is a story of a sixteen-year-old boy and his final year at school. Some commentators have made the point that it is gratifying to have a non-jock boy as the centre of the story – in contrast with his friend Chris from school who is a leering, hormonally driven, stupid young man.
Richard Wilson portrays Dan, the central character, not going to Geneva with his parents for a year but rather boarding in Brisbane with his aunt, who is twenty-one years younger than his mother. In the house, with university students, is Naomi (Emma Lung) who becomes the object of affection for both the aunt and for Dan.
The film’s action takes place over a few days, Dan settling into the house, disturbed by Naomi and her boyfriend, coming to terms with his aunt’s lesbian orientation. He also has to cope with his stupid friend from school. He also meets the landlord, Phil, a documentary film-maker with a most eccentric manner. At school, he is studying Romeo and Juliet and watches the Baz Luhrmann film, choosing the encounter between the two through the fish tank as the subject for a successful essay.
In this way the film shows the home life, the different year that Dan witness expecting, boys at the school, his studies. However, the focus of the film is a rather raucous party, suburban style. Phil the landlord (Michael Booth) should not drink, does, and goes berserk even to doing a strip and a swing on a Hill’s hoist.
Naomi is an attractive young woman – not always the brightest. Dan, in the meantime, wants to please her and her interest in knowing the names of birds and trees, buying a book, giving examples of birds in the vicinity of the house. He gets stuck on the colour brown, finds out that there are forty-eight shades – and in the final meeting with Naomi in her room, he recites the forty-eight shades.
The film has the light touch, shows the ambiguities in the quiet Dan, his hormonal development, his infatuation with Naomi, the embarrassing encounter with a schoolgirl in his room, and her throwing up on him, his understanding of his aunt, his ambitions to be a normal kind of boy, contrasting with Chris.
The film was directed by actor Daniel Lapaine, who featured as the groom in Muriel’s Wedding, and has had a career both in Australia and in England.
1. The target audience for this film? Boys and girls at school, senior years? University students? The popularity of the novel?
2. The title, indicating Dan’s preoccupation with Naomi, with identifying the birds, with her interest in how many shades of brown – and the final recitation as a gift to Naomi?
3. The Brisbane settings, the many vistas of the city, the buildings, the river, the bridges? Travelling on the river? The suburbs, suburban homes? The distinctive Brisbane style, houses on stilts...? Authentic feel? The musical score, the range of songs, the band at the party?
4. Dan, his age, his relationship with his mother, returning to Brisbane, Jacq meeting him, his settling into the house, meeting Naomi, meeting Jason? His room, his awkwardness with Naomi? The sex in the next room? His going to school, the proper uniform, the classes, the English class and his lacking attention? The discussions about Romeo and Juliet? As a symbol for his response to Naomi? His watching Baz Luhrmann’s film, the fish tank scene, his writing his essay on it, Naomi reading it and admiring it, his good mark? At home, the encounter with Phil, helping him with the washing machine, Phil finding he was not Jacq’s boyfriend? His inviting Phil to the party? Inviting Chris to the party? The preparations, his buying the book, his studying it up, telling Naomi the names of the birds? At home, going to the picnic with Jacq and Naomi? His infatuation with Naomi? The party, his awkwardness, standing around, meeting Imogen, in his room, her being sick, the truth that she was a schoolgirl? Her remarks about Chris as boorish? His seeing Jacq and her girlfriend? Phil and his behaviour? The next morning, cleaning up, the confidential talk with Jacq? Cleaning up with Naomi, going into her room, the forty-eight shades of brown? A missed moment or not? His future?
5. Jacq, younger sister, at university, looking after Dan, the infatuation with Naomi, studies, the work for the party, her interactions with Phil? The party itself, the aftermath? Playing in the band? The talk with Dan about her orientation? The moment with Naomi?
6. Naomi, young, attractive, the relationship with Jason? Her sometimes being slow? In the house, cutting off Jason? His return at the party? The picnic with Jacq and Dan, the birds, the names of flora and fauna? At the party, the next morning, cleaning up, Dan telling her the names of the shades of brown? Her phone call?
7. Phil, eccentric, documentaries, showing them to the party guests? Drinking, the striptease, on the Hill’s hoist, running away?
8. Chris, same age as Dan, his leering attitude towards life, the party, sex-obsessed, with Imogen, his being sick? His boasting to the other kids at school?
9. A cross-section of a young life in Brisbane, school and university? The style, the parties, the serious approaches, the comic touches?
