BOOK WEEK
Australia, 2018, 92 minutes, Colour.
Alan Dukes, Susan Prior, Pippa Grandison, Airlie Dodds, Steve La Marquand, Nicholas Hope, Rose Riley, Rhys Muldoon, Kant Chittenden.
Directed by Heath Davis.
There is a great deal to be said in favour of a film which promotes books and reading, physical books as well as e-books. The film takes us through book week in a secondary school, the ethos of promoting books and reading, the various activities of encouragement, readings, role-playing, spelling bees…
However, the “hero� of Book Week, Nick Cutler (a wry and ambiguous performance from Alan Dukes), is hardly the hero of any story let alone that of book week in a school, and let alone his own life.
He is a frustrated author, having had some initial success, working on a novel for many years, drawing on the trends in interest in zombie novels. He has an agent who promotes the manuscript to some publishers but, during the interview, he is told that the name has to be changed, that vampires are more trendy than zombies – otherwise they are happy to publish. Nick is a drinker, warned against drinking and making a fool of himself, but immediately goes to a pub, encounters a young woman, spends the night with her, forgetting that he is involved in an affair with the deputy principal of the school and has broken an appointment with her – and then finds that the young woman is to be an intern teacher at the school.
Nick’s father (Nicholas Hope) has little time for his son and gives him tongue lashings. His sister is more sympathetic and is dependent on him for a kidney transplant for her ill husband. Nick is not inclined to comply.
In the meantime, there is a young student who has sized up Nick and is not afraid of being forthright about her opinions, who was written some material and is feted as she does a book reading. She crops up many times, tantalising Nick – who gets his revenge on her with her presumption of winning a spelling bee. He does not fare so well with the deputy after standing her up. She is inclined to be lenient at first, but… He is also responsible for a young student with a propensity for stealing cars, doing drugs, Nick hoping to use him for a promotion interview for the book but finds a journalist whom he had humiliated years before. He has also told off for riding his bicycle drunk by a policewoman whom he had told is a student that she had no prospects.
Tiriel Mora turns up as the principal, nonchalant in some ways, dressed as Gandalf at the role-play session, dissatisfied with Nick and firing him. And then Nick’s novel is not to be published – but the precocious young student gets a contract.
Because Nick is so unsympathetic to most people and to the audience, there is a question whether he can possibly be redeemed. The screenplay says that he can, give the kidney, of course, continue with writing, overcome his antipathy towards e-books, give up some of the drinking. While this is what the screenplay has Nick do, it somewhat defies his credibility as the character previously portrayed. While his redemption is not quite dramatically convincing, the audience might hope.
1. The title? The emphasis on books and writing, on reading? Book Week and its celebration in a school?
2. The town settings, homes, bars, the roads? Musical score?
3. The school, secondary, the buildings, classrooms, halls? The atmosphere of the school? The meetings, the celebrations, the readings, the spelling bees, the dress ups? The purpose of Book Week?
4. The story of Nick Cutler? His age, the gradual revelation of mediocrity in his life? His wanting to be a writer, initial success, long years, writing the zombie novel, his ambitions for it to be published, relationship with his agent, going to visit the executives, the discussions, smooth-talk, their wanting changes, to vampires, the name? The warning to him to behave? His immediately getting drunk, spending night with Sarah, his relationship with Lee, the sexual encounters of the school, his standing her up when she expected him?
5. His disillusionment with teaching, quoting Matthew Arnold, the lack of interest from the students? Tyrell, his African background, juvenile detention, taking an interest in him, trying to keep him on the straight and narrow, Tyrell and his stealing cars, smoking pot, flirting with the girls? The later plan for the newspaper article and promotion, Tyrell high, his lack of interest in the interview? The interviewer and Nick previously putting her down? His later stealing the car? Nick asking his friend in prison to look after Tyrell?
6. Melanie, self-confidence, reading her novel, the attack on Nick? His response to her, putting her down? The later encounters, her comment on his open fly? Her ambitions, to publish? The spelling bee, Love’s Labors Lost and the heightened word, Nick judging her in error? The push, her fall, the injury? His supplying the foreword to her book? One
year later, her success?
7. Lee, her role in the school, the relationship with Nick? The expectations? The credibility of her being attracted to him considering his behaviour? Her sternness with him, in the school, with the Principal, the regulations, the spelling bee, exercising discipline?
8. The Principal, vague, the experience of Book Week, confrontations with Nick? Dressed as Gandalf, the Spelling Bee, his firing Nick? Nick returning and their discussion?
9. Nick, low self-esteem, the criticisms by his father, his sister and her husband, her devotion, his needing the kidney, Nick hesitant? Ultimately disillusioned, on the peak, deciding to donate the kidney, hospital, a good deed and its consequences?
10. Nick, drinking, the bicycle, his being stopped by the police woman, her memories of his criticism of her at school, his apology, her warning, his still riding the bike, going home, his father criticising him?
11. Nick, the possibility of writing, at the typewriter, failure? Against e-books, wanting to handle a book?
12. His losing his job, losing Lee, his helping Sarah with her classes, her taking his job?
13. How credible the change after one year, at Melanie’s launch, the photo with her, Lee included, his e-book?
14. The credibility of change of heart, character, career?
