KAIROS

Australia, 2019, 89 minutes, Colour.

Chris Bunton, Jerome Pride, Digby Webster, Deborah Jones, Audrey O'Connor, Jaden Byrne.

Directed by Paul Barakat.

Kairos comes from the Greek, the contrast between chronological time and the special time, the special occasion and opportunity in a person’s life, moment of grace. This is explained by the teacher to his class, urging them to dream.

This is a small-budget film from Sydney, with a Down Syndrome actor, Chris Bunton, in the lead, a young man, Danny. But himself is also a special Olympics champion and studied for five years at NIDA. He is a persuasive screen presence, seen at home with another Down Syndrome friend, fostered by a sympathetic former nurse, played by Deborah Jones. He attends a special class, education, imagination, ideas, lectures and explanations, and imaginative exercises, blindfold, listening to music (many of which are visualised here, especially with Danny wanting to be more normal, like a French boxer). There are scenes between him and the Down Syndrome friend, Ellie.

Danny is a successful gymnast but is interested in boxing. He is encouraged by John (Jerome Pride) who runs the gym. Not everybody is enthusiastic for Danny to be a boxer – and there is a crisis when he punches John while sparring, knocking him out, knocking out his teeth. Danny keeps it secret and broods. John says he fell off a ladder. This creates friction between the two.

John’s story and his family is also filled in, tragic background in England, coming to Australia.

Ultimately, the secret is out, consequences for the friendship, consequences for Danny’s ambitions, complicated by his experiences of blindfold and imagination. While Danny continues to bond with Ellie, he returns to gymnastics but the final image of the film, an empty feeling, is Danny coming down from the rungs and the two just left hanging, empty.

1. The meaning of the title? Chronological time, special opportunity time?
2. The focus on Down Syndrome, Danny, Sam, Ellie, the various members of the group? Featuring Down Syndrome actors, pride and achievement, reaction of the public, reactions, underlying anger?
3. The Sydney setting, the city, homes, the gym, the classroom, buses and trains, dentists…? Authentic feel? The musical score?
4. Danny’s story, his age, Jude and the story of his birth, the birth mother, Jude and her care for Danny, fostering, over the years, the details of their life, at home? Sam, his place in the house, relationship with Danny? Support, clashes? The attraction to Ellie, the conversations, recounting stories, dreams? The finale together?
5. Danny and his achievement, gymnast, conscious of his Down Syndrome, yet articulate, achievement? Interest in boxing, background explanations, going to the gym, the friendship with John? John and his background story, England, tragedy? The discussions, John and his encouragement? Jude and others being wary about the boxing? The training, the spa, the dramatic impact of Danny knocking out John, the loss of the tooth?
6. The consequences, Danny, upset, the secret, with the tooth? John, saying he fell off a ladder, going to the dentist, the process of the teeth, the grounds, the gold tooth? Sam, the painting of The Tooth Fairy, the tooth? Danny and the secrecy, cutting off interactions with John?
7. John, at home, wife, daughter, family life, at the gym, his past, the relationship with the Frenchman? Encouraging Danny, the spa, the knockout, the consequences? Alienation?
8. The course for the students with Down Syndrome, theatrical presentation, the lecturer, explanation of Chronos and Kairos, background from the Greeks and philosophy? The exercises, imagination, the music, the blindfold?
9. Danny, the blindfold, the music, his imagination, wanting to appear normal, the character of the Frenchman, Ellie in the imagination, the relationship with the Frenchman? The consequences for the imagination?
10. Public wariness of Down Syndrome, Danny and the train, friendly, the father with the baby, Danny admiring, the struggle with the father? (And the father portrayed by the writer-director)?
11. The situation at home, the revelation of the truth, Danny and his wanting to be a boxer, the encouragement, his skill as a gymnast? Falling out with John – the future with John? The final dream imagery and his imagination? The final sequence of the gymnast, and the rungs hanging?