THREE SUMMERS

Australia, 2017, 104 minutes, Colour.
Robert Sheehan, Rebecca Breeds, John Waters, Michael Caton, Magda Szubanski, Deborah Mailman, Jacqueline Mc Kenzie, Kelton Pell, Peter Rowsthorn, Amay Jain.
Directed by Ben Elton.

Why Three Summers? They refer to a country town Festival in Western Australia, a Westival, celebrated annually with a good crowd coming to enjoy a range of music, performances, workshops, camping and the sheer pleasure of an Australian outing.

The film was written and directed by British playwright and screenwriter, Ben Elton – who has been an Australian citizen for many years. He is based in Western Australia and obviously has an affection for the state. But he has also absorbed a great deal of the Australian spirit, Australian history and, especially, Australian social concerns. He can be both comical and critical.

The film creates the atmosphere of the town, the stream of cars arriving, the various locations for parking, camping, the buildings and halls for performance, the pub – and even the hall for sessions for Alcoholics Anonymous.

And, we get to meet the characters one year, share their experiences and then find them all arriving again for the second year, variations on their experiences, and then find them all arriving again for the third year. Three summers.

The audience is introduced to the Westival by the radio host, Queenie, Magda Szubanski at her enthusiastic best, folksy comments, spirit-rousing, introducing guests and acts, a pleasing chorus to all the events.

Amongst the arrivals are a father and daughter (John Waters and Rebecca Breeds) who are part of a band called the Warrikans (WA larrikins, as you might expect). John Waters gets the opportunity to sing and play the guitar. Rebecca Breeds, as Keevy, is a lively screen presence, singing, dancing, and meeting up with an unusual Irishman, Roland (Robert Sheehan) whose professionis dog-washing but who plays the theremin. While they might play romantic leads, their interactions are not nearly as romantic as one might like, quite some conflict, especially concerning Roland’s enthusiasm for Keevy and her talent to have an audition at the Concervatoire and the consequent misunderstandings.

Deborah Mailman is there as Pam, who runs the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Kelton Pell is Jack, leader of an aboriginal troupe of dancers, with one of the young men in tow having an ankle bracelet and being a sullen and silent refugee from youth detention. The group have an opportunity to do an emu dance, Jack having the opportunity to make jokes about Terra Nullius and the invasion as well as serious points about the aboriginal community and traditions.

There is also an Afghan band allowed to come to the Westival out of detention, their presence organised by a quiet young refugee who is being fostered by a local family.

There are also two couples who come every year, go through a parking ritual with cones, sit in the same place, say the same things, have the same meals, drink the same wine and congratulate themselves on a great break.

This review has kept Michael Catonas Harry till last though he is one of the most important characters. He was a child migrant from the UK, had a harsh upbringing, but has absorbed many of the local prejudices, intolerant of aborigines, harsh on refugees, proud to be an Australian… He criticises the aborigines for strutting around like emus covered in paint while he and his troupe are British Morris Dancers with very quaint costumes and straw hats covered in flowers!

One of his final sequences is the most seriously telling scenes on the whole film, relying on Michael Caton’s impact on Australian audiences from The Castle and Last Cab from Darwin, voicing Ben Elton’s challenge to contemporary Australia and any bigotry against multiculturalism and the forming, continually, of the Australian story.

Ben Elton knows how to write comedy, some parody, some satire – and has a very good cast to communicate it. Both enjoyment and challenge.

1. An effective Australian comedy? Parody and satire? Social comment and concern?

2. The Western Australian location, the country town, the grounds for the festival, the roads, the camp, the halls and the pub for performances?

3. Ben Elton as writer and director, his British background, his comic sense? His observations of Australia? Comedy? Social issues?

4. The response of the Australian audience, laughing at themselves, the parody, the critiques?

5. The framework: Queenie, the radio program, Magda Szubanski’s style, the jokes, her patter, the interviews, Diamond and her songs and polling, the introduction to various characters including Jack and his aboriginal troupe? The debate between Jack and Henry? Her participating in the action? Observations and cheerful? Over the three summers?

6. The crowds, the cross-section of the population, changing over the years, the same over the years?

7. The focus on Roland, the theremin, the issue about the Beach Boys and Good Vibrations, his performance, his explanations, his audience? The Irish background, his range of instruments, wanting the best and the truth? His being a dog-washer – and recording the significant bark? On YouTube?, the American artist taking it up, social media, popularity, income? His awkwardness of manner, strong opinions? And the selfies and fans during the pub performance?

8. The arrival of Keevy and her father, the jokes about the accommodation and Dolly Parton, the background of the family, the mother leaving, her dying? The family and music? The Warrikans, Roland and his criticism? His faux pas? Their performances, Keevy and her singing, dancing, her father playing? The zest? The response of the audience?

9. Roland and Keevy, their talk, her coming to his performance, joking, playing with him, his amazement at her remembering the music and improvisation? The explosion of the amplifier? The discussions about being Irish, the family coming from Cork? The coffee, happy, the kiss – and Roland blowing it with his criticism of the band? His urging her to go to the Conservatoire?

10. Keevey, going to the audition, the heavy shoes on the floor? The panel, the professor and her being tart in manner, no feedback? The Conservatoire not using paper, Roland discovering the responses in email, hacking her dad’s computer, finding the deleted email, confronting her father, his not wanting to lose her? The visit of the professor to the festival, with the security guard and getting her services, offering the scholarship to Keevy, offering the teaching position to Roland?

11. The Alcoholics Anonymous at the Festival, Pam leading the meetings, the variety of types, their testimonies? Talking with Keevy, saying that she had a drinking problem, her father’s? The father, friendship with Pam, his bad relationship with Keevy about the audition? Coming to Pam for help?

12. The two couples with their caravan, parking cones, the chairs, the same every year, the pattern of the meals, where they sat, the talking, the bottles of wine? One year and the darkness, the sexual encounter and the repercussions? The return and renewed enthusiasm?

13. Henry, his daughter and her being always on her phone, the alienation of Ruby from her mother? Ruby as a young teenager, the change over the summers, piercings and earrings, her wanting to be a rebel? Friendship with Jesse and Jafar? And her mother realising her overuse of the phone?

14. Jack, the aboriginal group, jokes about Terra Nullius and to the invasion? His playing his audience well? The dancing troupe? The paint, the emu dance and Henry’s criticism and mockery?

15. Henry, migrant from England as a child, the hard upbringing, with his daughter and her being on the phone? Ruby and her changes? The Morris dancing and the end of the line? The satire on the Morris Dancers? His racist comments? Mocking the aboriginal dance? The clash with Jack and Queenie watching? His going to the Afghan concert, hearing their story, hearing Jafar’s story? His applauding the Afghans? His saying that he had to face himself? The truth? His performing the emu dance and its effect?

16. Jesse, the sullen youth, in detention, forced to come, relationship with Jack? The stealing of the phone, Ruby taking the blame? His gradually changing, performing, the friendships? He and his young friend and the talking with Ruby and others?

17. Jafar,’s story, his foster parents and their being cautious, not interrogating or pressurising? His writing letters, with the dictionary? The change over the years? Meeting Ruby, liking her? His organising the Afghans to come to the concert? Their coming from the detention centre, performance, talking about detention and returning, their hopes? Henry applauding?

18. The jokes about security, Linda and her toughness, her being very strict, interviewing people? The sendup? The encounter with the professor and the professor dominating her, her doing the professors will?

19. Diamond, over three years, the criticism of Australia, changing the words of Waltzing Matilda, of the Kookaburra song, of My Country? Queenie’s response?

20. The group of feminist young women, fashionable, their arguments amongst themselves, the possibility go to university, dropping out? Their songs? With Roland, and Keevy overhearing how well he had treated them?

21. The Morris Dancers, the man at the end of the line, the issue of the nude calendar?

22. The focus on Henry, his racism and bigotry, rolling his eyes, his slogans, the social issues of the 21st-century, his shock about Ruby and the issue of the phine, her claiming that she stole it, defending Jesse? Henry looking at himself? Jafar’s story, the girls? The impact of his leading the emu dance, the others joining in, shaking hands, his speech
about himself and the need for the stories of others to understand their own stories?

23. The role of festivals, people getting together, one tent, multicultural people in the tent? Ben Elton and his raising significant social issues in Australia in a comic way?