EMO THE MUSICAL
Australia, 2016, 94 minutes, Colour.
Benson Jack Anthony, Jordan Hare, Jon Prasida, Lucy Barrett, Ben Bennett, Craig Hyde- Smith, Geraldine Viswanathan, Bridie Carter, Dylan Lewis.
Directed by Neal Triffett.
The target audience for this film will know what Emo means. For those who don’t know about the Emo trends in music since the 1980s, Wikipedia is informative: “In addition to music, "emo" is often used more generally to signify a particular relationship between fans and artists, and to describe related aspects of fashion, culture, and behavior. Emo has been associated with a stereotype that includes being particularly emotional, sensitive, misanthropic, shy, introverted, or angst-ridden. It has also been associated with stereotypes like depression, self-harm, and suicide.�
This is definitely and Emo musical.
This is an Australian story, in the suburbs, focusing on the young people, at school, at parties, music issues, bands, rivalries.
While there is a very secular attitude amongst most of the students, there is some-plot involving religious groups, religious enthusiasm.
It is designed for those interested in exploring the world of the young. Younger audiences may be able to identify with the characters very quickly – older audiences may find some of them quite exasperating.
1. An Australian story? Universal? Teens, adults? Drama and music? High school? Music courses, sports? Religious dimensions?
2. The musical score, the songs, their style, lyrics and vocals, dramatising the characters and situations?
3. Ethan, his life story, bullied, the guitar broken, depressed, no home background, decision to hang himself, the failure, faking the story, expulsion from his school?
4. Going to see more High, his arrival, the bullies want his credit card number?
5. The welcome from Isaac and Jim Marley? The offer of the tour? Seeing the notice for the demos, his hopes? The auditions?
6. The teacher, handling the classes, music, sports? The issues of depression, the medication? Songs? The principles, the spirit of the school, the principle leaving? The woman delegate? The picture of the staff?
7. Brad and the emails, Peter and his look, ring, Roz and her being tough, appearance? The Imo philosophy? Brad, make up and look? The leader? Ethan singing, his being accepted, the value of his suicide attempt, reputation round the school? The practices, the sounds, the lyrics, the ethos? Roz and the dates, at the cinema and its failure? Brad as boss? Peters genial? Roz and her playing basketball secretly?
8. Isaac, the religious group, Trinity at her place, Peter and his homosexuality, his aversion therapy, the attraction to the boy? The songs? The crisis, the group, going to the institution? The finale and his friend coming to the institution?
9. Isaac, religious, booking the room for practice, the chapel, the religious symbols? Jim Marley and her pregnancy? His lack of responsibility? His domination, the destruction of the chapel, getting the DNA sample testing it, the criticism that he did not believe in science? At the end, accepting Ethan?
10. Trinity, in the religious group, her religious language, the kiss and the attraction, the meetings in the library, at her home, listening to Ethan’s story, her being hurt by him, going to the group, telling the truth about his suicide attempt? The notices all around the school and his loss of reputation?
11. The group work, the noun, her habit, manner of speaking, letting people speak, approval or disapproval? The range of stories around the room? Deviancy? And the song that Jesus was an email?
12. The chapel, the fire, Brad and his domination, Ethan and his kowtowing? The fire?
13. The competition, the groups playing, the teacher and the MC, the happy school, the deputy principal and her sternness and wanting to expel unhappy people?
14. Ethan, love for Trinity, the emergency baptism, playing with the religious group, Isaac not wanting him to stand out, if his playing and everybody responding? Brad and is discussed?
15. Brad, the arrest, the teacher and the deal for his playing, Ethan joining him? The reconciliation? Brad going to prison?
16. The blend of realism, the artificiality of the musical?
17. The variety of stances, the screenplay and pro-and against the emailers and brats domination, his callousness and the burning of the chapel? The screenplay pro and against the religious group, Isaac and his double standards about the pregnancy? Trinity and her beliefs? Ethan and his final open quote conversion�?
18. The impact for the peer audience, teenage issues? The parents? Teachers?
