UNDERTOW

Australia, 2018, 96 minutes, Colour.
Laura Gordon, Rob Collins, Olivia DeJonge?, Josh Hellman, Josh Hayes.
Directed by Miranda Nation.

An Australian drama, the ebbs and flows in personal relationships, and the deceiving undertows.

It is not often that we see a film photographed in Geelong and on Corio Bay – with quite an extensive coverage, the city, factories, homes, clubs, beaches and quite a commitment to the AFL club!

The film is principally a portrait of Claire (Laura Gordon), married to Dan (Rob Collins. Claire is a photographer who likes to wander the beaches and capture on camera the remains of dead creatures washed up onto the sand and rocks. She is pregnant, starts to bleed, hurries to the hospital, a miscarriage. This is in the first few minutes.

We are invited to empathise with Claire, her sadness and disappointment, touches of melancholy on the beach, a chance sighting of her husband accompanying a teenage girl into a motel room, wary of his account of what happened, love but growing suspicions.

The film also focuses on the young girl, Angie (Olivia DeJong), an aspiring model, but a girl around town with the men, especially a relationship with local football player, Dan’s best friend. Claire is suspicious, follows Angie, stalks her – but Angie is keen on Claire doing a photo shoot.

As the film progresses, we are more and more involved with each of the characters, especially when Claire discovers that Angie is pregnant, moves into mothering mode, compensating mode, further tangling the relationships.

And the screenplay reminds us that we all make mistakes, sometimes devastating mistakes, which have their consequences and their catastrophes.

While the film narrative is presented in terms of realism, there are quite a number of dream and fantasy sequences, especially on Claire’s part, which offer some complexity as to her character and motivations.

Undertow has a women’s perspective, with the screenplay and direction by Miranda Nation.

1. The title? Beaches, waves, undertow, the end climax, death, safety? And the dead creatures on the beaches?

2. The Geelong settings, Corio Bay, homes, streets, football club, workplaces, nightclubs? The musical score?

3. Ordinary people? Emotional tangles? Suspicions and misunderstandings? Depression and consequences?

4. The focus on Claire, her marriage to Dan, the bonds between them, the bath and the blood, driving to the hospital, the miscarriage? Her trying to contact Dan? His being at the club? At the hospital, going home? Depression, resuming her life? Her photography, on the beaches? The room and the photos? Driving, seeing Dan with Angie, her suspicions?

5. Angie, her age, going to the club, her dress, her vanity, dancing, with Brett, with the men, the sexual encounter? The aftermath? Her pregnancy?

6. Dan, his love for Claire, his work, promotions? Scene with Angie? Audience suspicions? Sharing with Claire? His explanations? Satisfactory? His friendship with Brett, the football background, Brett and Angie? The arguments between the two? Brett coming to the home?

7. Clare, going to Angie’s flat, to the club, Angie accosting her? Claire as photographer, Angie giving the address? The follow-up, the photo shoot, the nude woman on the vast wall? Claire and her growing obsession with Angie, the discovery of the pregnancy, suspicions? Angie finding out who she was? Claire and her concern about the pregnancy? The effect on Angie, her age, moods?

8. Claire taking Angie for the ultrasound? Dan discovering what was happening? Brett coming to stay? Discussions about the pregnancy?

9. The social, Dan in his presentation, Claire and her dress, Brett and his role? Angie intruding? Claire going to the beach, the sexual encounter with Brett?

10. Clare, her fantasies, in the bath, Angie appearing, the blood? The effect on Claire and her depression?

11. Angie at the beach, Claire going into the surf to save her, Brett coming in, the turmoil, Brett’s death? The repercussions, the police interviews, the media? Clare finding Angie? Angie’s angry reaction? Dan and the repercussions of her affair? His resentment?

12. The ambiguities of the ending, the future for each of the central characters given the complications?