LAST CAB TO DARWIN

Australia, 2015, 125 minutes, Colour.
Michael Caton, Ningali Lawford, Mark Coles Smith, Emma Hamilton, Leah Purcelll, Alan Dukes, John Howard, David Field, Brendan Cowell.
Directed by Jeremy Sims.

Publicity in discussions about this film indicate that the main theme is euthanasia. Actually, the focus is on assisted suicide. But the buzz about the film does not indicate the other very significant theme, aborigines in Australian society, especially in the outback towns like Broken Hill and on the road between Broken Hill, Oodnadatta, Alice Springs, Darwin.

The theme of assisted suicide has had quite some significance in Australian discussions, and still has, especially past projected legislation in the Northern Territory and the work of advocate, Philip Nitschke – and audiences will probably think that the character of Dr Nicole Farmer, played by Jacki Weaver, is based on him and his advocacies.

Prospective audiences for the film will often have strong and fixed views, for and against, assisted suicide. This drama offers a great deal to think about, a great deal to feel about.

The driver of the last cab to Darwin is Rex, an old taxi driver in Broken Hill who has never really been outside the city, never seen the sea. Now in his 70s, he has a terminal cancer and is given about three months to live. Michael Caton has been something of an icon in Australian film and television, especially his role as the dad in The Castle. His performance as Rex will also be iconic, an imposing figure in his way, old, grizzled, alone, sardonic, driving his taxi and knowing most people, fond of a beer, fond of his pet dog, Dog, in something of a relationship with Polly (Ningali Lawford) who lives across the street.

Last Cab has a lot of shots of Broken Hill, the centre of the city, the surroundings, the mining atmosphere, the desert. And, of course, there are a lot of characters, the types you might expect working on the roads, builders, congregating at the pub, some sly winks to the barmaid – and more – a group of ocker men. These are Rex’s friends. He relates well to them, but does not share a great deal of his inner self with them.

When Rex comes upon a news item about the possibilities of a machine to help with suicide being developed in Darwin, he phones in – and everybody in the city hears it on talkback radio. He decides then to drive his taxi to Darwin, to meet with Dr Farmer and put an end to his life.

A great deal of the film, perhaps most of the film, takes place on the road, giving audiences at home and internationally, a close-up of the Australian outback, the variety of landscapes, the desert, the lone tree with the skeletons of feral cats hanging, the isolated pubs, the road trains – knocking up pebbles which break windscreens, the tourism at Daiy Waters, the isolated whites, the individuals and groups of aborigines…

The themes of black and white Australians is to the fore in the relationship between Rex and Polly, Polly’s bringing all her relatives down to stay in her house and causing some mayhem with Rex’s possessions, a young man on the road, Tilly (Mark Coles Smith), a lively lad with football potential, married with children, but reckless, drinking, in trouble, who helps Rex and decides to travel with him to Darwin. Rex intervenes in Darwin to persuade a local coach to give Tilley a chance for a tryout for playing in the Australian rules team.

There are some poignant moments for Rex when he visits Daly Waters and sees a photo of his parents on the wall, his mother and father who met there, his father working on the air strip. When he collapses, being very weak from the exertion of the trip and the anxieties in going to Darwin, a young barmaid from England, Julie (Emma Hamilton) trained as a nurse, volunteers to look after him.

Rex, in Darwin, finds that going through with the procedure is not easy at all. There are issues of legislation. There are issues of consent – the machine asking the person who wants to die to signal consent on a computer, and asking three questions, then releasing the lethal dose. Consent is also required from a psychiatrist as well is a specialist in the terminal cancer.

While this leads to complications about the death, it also offers an opportunity for Rex to reflect on his life, break through something of his isolation, especially encouraged by Julie, acknowledge his love for Polly, realise something in a zest for life, his hopes for Tilley’s success, that dying and consenting to die is certainly not easy for most people.

With such significant themes – although the original play, written by Reg Cribb who collaborated for the screenplay with director Jeremy Sims – was written almost a decade earlier, there are no pat answers either way about the challenge of assisted suicide. The film asks for principled reflection, and it for offers a great deal of possibility for empathy. Many audiences will still not be certain as to their final opinion.

1. The title? Evocative? Indication of themes?

2. The origins in a play, its being opened up? The 2005 origins of the play, the Northern Territory, legislation, euthanasia changes?

3. Assisted suicide? Audiences pro and con? Thinking about the issue, feeling about the issue, identifying with characters or not?

4. The importance of the aboriginal themes, the history of the aborigines, in the outback and Northern Territory? In Broken Hill? In Oodnadatta, the settlements? Bars and motels, drink, the Long Grasses? Relationships? Marriage and children? Football? Equality?

5. Michael Caton as Rex, age, driving the taxi? Alone in his house, Dog,Polly calling out about the garbage, bringing him breakfast, the neighbour’s disapproval? The relationship? His work, the variety passengers in the taxi? Going to the doctor, the views of the specialist? Given three months to live? The background of his friends, Col, Simmo, Dougie? Simmo and the barmaid? Drinking?

6. The city, the detail? The context of the story?

7. To the airport, listening to the radio, the passenger and his clients, the information on assisted suicide and the talkback, his stopping and phoning, everybody hearing him?

8. His decision, to drive to Darwin, the variety of reactions, his phoning Dr Farmer? The reaction, his expectations, her expectations?

9. Dr Farmer, her Darwin practice, developments for assisted suicide? Issues of law, the range of consents required, the machine, linked to the computer, the questions?

10. Rex on the road, the different terrains, the range of scenery, variety, the road train and its speed, breaking the windscreen, the feral cats hanging from the trees? Oodnadatta, the children following the car, Tilly and his fixing the windscreen, the barmaid and the money, Tilly’s wife and her reaction?

11. Tilly and his debts, stealing the money, his being bashed, Rex confronting the attackers, Tilly hiding the money in his mouth? Driving with him, talking, sleeping, telling his story, the AFL, the possibility of his playing, his marrying, his children?

12. The views of Alice Springs, the exercise of bias towards aborigines in motels, Tilly going to the Todd River, driving?

13. Daly Waters, Rex and his memories, the story of his parents, the planes and the airport runway, his having the photo, seeing it in the bar, the discussions with Julie? The show, the compere and his patter, the tourists, Tilly and his dance? Rex sick, vomiting, Julie caring for him? Rex’s desperation and trying to crash the car?

14. Julie and Tilly both going to Darwin, after Rex finding them in the back of the car, the sexual encounter? Meeting Dr Farmer, her assistant? The discussions, the situation, the explanation about the machine, Rex wanting to die?

15. Julie and her story, as a nurse, England, wanting the sun, going to the Northern Territory? Quitting her job in Daly Waters? Helping Rex, changing, care? Going to see the sea with Rex? Tilly and Rex pleading for him with the football coach, Tilly training, disappearing, into the Long Grass, drinking, Rex finding him? Julie and her discovery that Tilly was married? Confronting him?

16. Dr Farmer, her care, the discussions and arguments, Rex as a cause rather than more personal involvement? Her trying to get the required consents, the psychologist, the specialist, the phone calls, refusals, final success?

17. Rex with the machine, Julie turning it on, the computer questions and clicking? The dose flowing – and Rex stopping it?

18. The farewell, to Julie, Tilly and his playing, his wife watching him? Dr Farmer and her cause?k

19. Julie urging Rex to contact Polly, the phone calls, Polly and her family moving in, the squabbles, love for Rex, the final phone calls, welcoming Rex back? His friends?

20. The prospects for Rex, living, dying?