BACKTRACK BOYS
Australia, 2018, 90 minutes, Colour.
Bernie Shakeshaft.
Directed by Catherine Scott.
One might call this documentary, “heartening�.
The title refers to a scheme for helping boys and young teenagers to deal better with their lives. It is the brainchild of Bernie Shakeshaft, who appears throughout the film, who spent some time in the Northern Territory when young, appreciated his experience with aboriginal Australians and wants to bring some of this experience to helping the younger generation. And he does.
The setting is north-western New South Wales, Armidale and New England and shows in country towns like Wellington and Condobolin. The audience will feel that they have spent some time living in the area – which is what the director, Catherine Scott, did for two years, embedded in the Backtrack program, sharing life with the boys, with the range of volunteers who work with Bernie Shakeshaft, capturing the ordinary moments, dramatising the boys and their love for the dogs and their training them and helping perform at the local town shows, but also sharing in the drama, the pressures on the boys from their backgrounds, their woundedness, some wilfulness, some hopes.
The opening, with the dogs, and the performances, the boys coming to life by working in training the dogs, is certainly an attraction for dog-lovers.
Once the film has established the work of Bernie Shakeshaft and made the audience welcome at the centre and residence outside Armidale, the film focuses on three young lads who represent all those who have lived and worked at Backtrack.
The teenager, Zach, is the most sympathetic of the three. He has come from Alice Springs, his father has walked out on his wife and children and established a new family, with Zach sent to Backtrack. The experience has been most beneficial for him, bringing out a strong and sympathetic character, his working with some of the younger boys. But, there is a lot of anger in him which has to be dealt with. The audience finds itself very on-side towards him, hoping for the best when he prepares for a job and goes to an interview. But, the rejection brings out his anger, some violence and, to audience dismay, a prison sentence.
The cheeky 12-year-old that Zach helps mentoring is Russell, very brief attention span as he himself confesses. He can be rude, angry, impatient, violent. But, he identifies with the Backtrack program, is more than at home with the dogs and their training. He goes home to his father who loves him but cannot manage him – and, some violence and disruption, leading to a court hearing.
The third boy, Tyler who has had some drug problems, actually goes to jail at the beginning of the film, learns something from his prison experience and, on release, is reunited with his girlfriend.
So, the film is working on two levels, the dramatic story of the boys, the portrait of Bernie Shakeshaft and his vision, a heartening look at someone, with his volunteers, who is concerned about young men in Australian society, drawbacks, trauma, failures, possibilities for hope and success. Heartening certainly and a most worthy enterprise, eliciting admiration from those of us who are not so directly involved.
1. The impact of the documentary? The director two years embedded with the group? The portrait, sympathetic? Social themes – and the tone of exultation?
2. The title, the organisation, Bernie Shakeshaft, Armidale and the surroundings, country towns of Western New South Wales, the shows with the dogs? The centre and the residents? The musical score?
3. The introduction, the dogs, the boys, the racial backgrounds, the schools with the dogs, the audiences at the show, the purpose of the organisation, its success, the role of the dogs?
4. Bernie Shakeshaft and his life, years in the Northern Territory, his aims and motivations, succeeding with the youngsters, listening to them, wise advice, training them, accompanying them in their lives, the range of volunteers, with the dogs, cooking and teaching cooking, medical, the teachers?
5. The focus on Zack, Russell and Tyler, their stories? The personalities, their ages, experience, Angus, the relationship with Bernie Shakeshaft?
6. Zack, his hopes, poise, his past, from Alice Springs, aboriginal background, the father leaving and making a new family, his mother? His success in Backtrack? Wanting a job, preparing for the interviews? Not getting the job, his anger, the fight, the sentence, going to prison, getting out, the future?
7. Russell, his age, death of his mother, the father unable to handle him, his brief attention span, going home, trouble, at Backtrack, his liking it, cheeky, with the dogs? Preparing for court, his not being sentenced?
8. Tyler, the drugs, his story, going to prison, in prison and his work, getting out, his girlfriend?
9. The impact of the drama of the stories?
10. Social concerns, youngsters and support them, the program at Backtrack, of those contributing like Bernie Shakeshaft? The volunteers?
