PAPER PLANES
Australia, 2014, 94 minutes, Colour.
Sam Worthington, Ed Oxenbould, Deborah Mailman, David Wenham, Nicholas Bakapoulos- Cooke, Ina Imai, Terry Norris, Julian Dennison.
Directed by Robert Connolly.
This entertaining film has everything going for it. It is designed for a family audience and should be satisfying for everyone, parents and children. It is feelgood, generally pleasantly predictable, telling a good story, having interesting characters, a 12-year-old that many children could identify with, a theme of children’s activities, a competition, a touch of pre-adolescent romance, a snobby child villain… What more could we want?
The title indicates what the principal focus is, the making of paper planes (and some of us finding that it is far more complicated and creative that we might have thought, a variety of forms and shapes for the planes). In fact, during the titles, where shown the process of paper making – because the quality of the paper, its futures, its texture, are important for the shaping of the planes.
At the centre of all this is a 12-year-old, Dylan. He is played by the very talented Ed Oxenbould. He made his mark in television series, Underbelly and Puberty Blues, credibly playing an American child as Alexander in the family comedy, Alexander and his Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Day. It looks as if he has a very strong career ahead of him.
He lives at home with his father, Sam Worthington, who seems to have given up on life after the death, five months earlier, of his wife in accident. Dylan is the stronger in coping, missing his mother but acknowledging the truth of her death. His father mopes at home, lying down, leaving the television on with sport, unable to go to work. Dylan rides his bike to the local country primary school where the students are a mixture of white, ethnic, aboriginal. The teacher is played by Peter Rowsthorn, full of enthusiasm for the students and the classes (after he collects all their phones and devices before class) and encourages them when a visitor comes to talk to them about paper planes and gets them to test out their skills.(if you’re wondering where you saw Peter Rowsthorn before, he played Brett, the exceedingly put-upon husband of Kim in Kath and Kim.)
Dylan becomes enthusiastic about paper planes, qualifies to go to the finals, is helped by his mischievous friend, Kevin, with some explosive experiments, and visits his grandfather in a home for the elderly, a former pilot who takes Dylan to the flight museum and imagines some war action, helping Dylan to get ideas were his planes. His father does help him in showing him the winged keel for the America’s Cup in 1983, Dylan incorporating this into the design of his paper planes, also studying an eagle in-flight - he feeds the bird each day with a rasher of bacon.
The Australian finals are to be held in Sydney. Dylan’s father eventually drives him (something of a credibility gap for the audience since the film was photographed in Western Australia and they drive along a few dirt roads et cetera and then quickly arrive in Sydney!)
At the finals, presided over by a very exuberant former champion, Deborah Mailman, Dylan meets a young Japanese paper plane champion, Kim, and they become friends. Also present is a very caddish would-be champion, Jason (Nicholas Boukapolus- Cooke) and his father, played by David Wenham, a man who realises he has a very obnoxious child, who insists on calling him Patrick instead of dad, and who spouts a philosophy of winning is everything. There is some excitement as all the contestants fly their plane over a swimming pool.
As we anticipate, Jason and Dylan win the competition and travel to Tokyo for the world finals. Dylan works hard because he has no money, his teacher trying to take up a collection, his father having the idea of a garage sale, his grandfather and the ladies at the home providing cakes, lamingtons prominent, and they collect enough money for Dylan to go, but not his father. The key point is that his father does not want to sell his wife’s piano, she was a piano teacher, even though he is offered $3000 for it.
There is plenty of excitement in Tokyo, and the Tokyo tourist agency will not be disappointed at the presentation in the film. Kim is there. Dylan and Kim continue their friendship. Jason is also there and indulges in some bullying which means that Dylan might not be able to participate in the contest. But on the contest goes, Dylan adjusting his plane, remembering his mother who taught him to make the paper planes, the advice of his father and grandfather, the image of the eagle.
This is a very nice film, so happiness all round, including Dylan being very supportive of his father, Jason having some redemptive moments.
The film was co-written and directed by Robert Connolly who has had a strong career in the Australian film industry with producing and directing such films as The Bank, Three Dollars, Balibo and producing and directing a segment of the Tim Winton film, The Turning.
It is hoped that this film is popular not only in Australia but around the world.
1. Audience appeal? Adults child? Children? Family?
2. The Australian flavour, the story, characters, settings, spirit?
3. The Western Australian locations, the Australian countryside, the house, the school, at home the elderly, the air museum? The contrast with Sydney and the sites? Tokyo and the sites? The musical score?
4. The title, the focus, the plains, the children, parents? Ingenuity, sport and development?
5. Dylan, Ed Oxenbould and his screen presence, his age, his mother and memories, teaching him to make paper planes? The impact of her death? His maturity, acknowledging the truth, supporting his fragile father and discrete? Urging him on? His bond with his grandfather? The visit to the home, the ladies? To the Museum, imagining World War II? His grandfather breaking into the shed, breaking the law four times? In the class, his teacher, the kids, Kevin, the class on planes, his success in flying one? Telling his father? His father’s response with the America’s Cup and the winged keel? Dylan feeding the Eagle, studying its flight? The trip to Sydney, with his father? His father staying in the hotel and not watching his son? Meeting Maureen, her exuberance, running the program, her past successes? Meeting KimI, the opening to Japan? Meeting Jason, his arrogance? The competition, Dylan coming second?
6. Jack, sad, no energy, remembering his wife, going to Sydney but not participating, thinking Japan was impossible? The idea of the garage sale, the teacher and his collection, grandfather and the ladies in bringing the cakes, the lamingtons, raising the amount of cash for Dylan to go? The possibility of selling the piano, the offer, $3000, Jack refusing?
7. Dylan in Tokyo, meeting KimI again, their friendship, the sifhts of Tokyo? The interactions with Jason, Jason pushing him down the stairs, spraining his wrist, his fear of needles but going through the acupuncture, practising for the competition?
8. The day, Maureen enthusiastic, Kimi and her success? Jason doing well? Dylan, on the stand, remembering the eagle, changing the plane in the wings, winning? The kids back home watching the television, the excitement?
9. Jason, snob, arrogant, calling his father Patrick, his philosophy of winning at all cost, his father’s reactions, trying to talk sense into his son? His father watching the competition?
10. Jason, watching, beginning to applaud Dylan, the three standing on the dais?
11. Dylan, the experience, phoning his father, offering him support, always? His father selling the piano? Hurrying to Japan? Celebrating son’s victory?
12. An entertaining film for all ages, reality and fantasy, the focus on the young boy, his craft, energies, committing himself to something? Serving as a role
model?
