MEN’S GROUP

Australia, 2008,
Grant Dodwell, Paul Gleeson, Steve Le Marquand, Steve Rodgers, Don Reid, Paul Passone, William Zappa.
Directed by Michael Joy.

1. The impact of the film? For a men’s audience? Middle aged and older men? The impact for a women’s audience? For wives and partners?

2. The Sydney settings, the house for the group meetings, outside the house, offices, streets, homes? Authentic settings? Symbolising each character?

3. The structure of the film: the men’s arrival, the sessions, the glimpses outside the sessions, the meal, the spa, the bar, the exercise and merriment with painting the faces? The musical score?

4. The popularity of men’s groups? Speaking, listening, opening up, to handle crises? The kind of therapy? The role of the leader, facilitating, not intervening with ideas? Asking questions? Sensitivity? As exercised by Paul, the phone calls, the invitations, his judgments about silence, interventions? His own story? Coping with crises, coping with tensions? The impact of Freddy’s suicide?

5. The success of this kind of group? Enabling them to speak, to listen, to show respect, to change attitudes, discoveries? The failure with Freddy’s suicide?

6. The director and his focus on each character, the use of close-ups, framing of the group, parts of the group? Editing and pace, reactions? The editing of the outside sequences building up collage of the men?

7. Alex, the first arrival, his appearance, partly disheveled, his talking, incessant swearing? Puzzle about why he was present? His comments on his son’s bad attitude? The issue of whether he needed answers or not? Drinking, the scenes at the bar, flirting with the woman? His gambling, phone calls, daily doubles? His relationship with his wife, praising her, meals on time, her domain? Arguments with her on the phone? Her control? His anger with his son, descriptions of his son, as a boy, earing, dress, trophies and putting false names, his shutting his father out? Controlling his mother? Change of heart, the key and the truck with his belongings? Going to the empty house, pleading with his wife? The phone call to his son, the possibility of connection? Not believing in connections? The photo of his father, the father as a con man, absent from his son, yet his loving him, discovering this relationship, not wanting it to happen with his own son?

8. Cecil, his age, the doctor telling him to come, widower, his children? The scenes of him alone at home, elegant, candle-lit meals, alone? His educated vocabulary? His father, expectations, school, studies of law, being a lawyer? His wife? His sympathy for the other men, talking, listening? His reticence about his children? Opening up to Moses and the end, his violence towards his wife, his son seeing this and breaking off? Sitting in the park? His future?

9. Moses, bearded, the beanie, not wanting to go but giving it a go? Drinking before he went in? Silence? Moments of sympathy? His comments about Anthony and his daughter’s death? Whether she was hot? The group shocked at his callousness? The build-up to his outburst against Paul, threatening him, Paul standing his ground, the collapse, his weeping, letting everything out? Seeing him at home, pottering, the shed, the dog, friendliness, antagonism, taking the furniture in the street, his drinking, alone, the call from his son’s mother, never having seen him? Non-committal about his own father? The significance of his shaving and haircut, no beanie? Sitting quietly listen to Cecil?

10. Lukas, silent, his business bosses sending him, anger management? His not talking much during the sessions? Listening? The story of his father? Issues of sexuality, activity, privacy? Visiting bars, discussions, bashing the man in the street? Homophobia? Homosexuality? His playing the joke with Freddy about his wallet? Shock at Freddy’s death?

11. Freddy, large, jokey, stand-up comedian? Living alone? Offering to intervene with a joke during tension? Friendly? Living alone? Christine, the marriage, the shower and his touching her, her repulsion? Keeping the daughter? His bringing the bear to the session, sitting it on a chair, answering it in terms of being with his daughter? His wife’s abruptness, shutting the door on him, the phone calls, but allowing him to come on the daughter’s birthday? His bringing the gift? The interludes with the stand-up routines? Jokes about death, family court judges…? The story of his father? His being bullied at school, kissing, tongue-kissing? Ridicule? His hiding under the house? The joke played on him by Lukasz and the insults? At home, quietly desperate, going to the house, under the house and killing himself?

12. Anthony, the sole visit, listen, the story of his daughter’s death, promoting the cars, the accident, his weeping? The group’s sympathy? Moses and his harshness? A sook session?

13. The overall effect on each of the men, some change? For Paul, his own family? Weeping and sense of failure with Freddy’s suicide?

14. The impact of the film for audiences, four men, the possibility of this kind of group or therapy for them?