INITIATION

Australia, 1987, 92 minutes, Colour.
Bruno Lawrence, Rodney Harvey, Arna Maria Winchester, Miranda Otto, Bobby Smith, Tony Barry.
Directed by Michael Pearce.

Initiation is an interesting story, done with small budget and an attempt to reach an overseas market with an exotic story from Australia.

The film focuses on a young American who comes back to Australia to find his father after his mother’s death. His father is involved in drug-smuggling in the outback – and the consequences of this are the son going with his father on a flight and their crashing and his having to make his way back to civilisation to save his father.

Bruno Lawrence, New Zealand actor, is a strong presence as the father. Rodney Harvey is the American boy (who, ten years later, after some prison time, was to die of a drug overdose). The film features Arna Maria Winchester as Bruno Lawrence’s wife, Tony Barry as his drug contact, Bobby Smith as an enigmatic Aborigine and a role for the very young Miranda Otto.

The film combines some aspects of Aboriginal lore along with a conventional kind of story about drugs, father and son relationships, reconciliation – all in the beautifully photographed outback locations.

1. Interesting film? Entertaining? Australian? The impact for local audiences? Overseas?

2. The title, the reference to Danny Molloy, his coming from America to see his father, his initiation into Australian life, into the hardships of life in his trek to rescue his father? The background of Aborigines, Aboriginal rites – and Danny having the equivalent of this kind of rite of passage.

3. The South Australian locations, the mountains, the towns, the desert? Beautiful? Exotic? Threatening and dangerous? The musical score?

4. Danny Molloy, his age, not knowing his father, his mother’s death? Travelling to Australia, the flight? In Adelaide? His getting help to get to the town? The bus? The encounter with his father, his father’s reaction? His going to the house, his meeting Sal, her wariness of him? Meeting Stevie, friendship with her? Helping, the car, the plane? His settling in? The encounters with Kulu, his interest in Aboriginal rites? The friendship? Kulu keeping an eye on him? The drug background, Sal and Stevie not knowing? His father’s decision on meeting the drug dealers? The flight? The crash? Looking after his father, making his way through the outback, the forests and the desert, the mountains and the caves? Kulu and his inspiration, this journey serving as a rite of passage? His maturing? An initiation into adulthood? The return, the rescue? A future?

5. Nat Molloy, his past marriage, his son going to America? His work in the outback, flying? Cars and planes? His relationship with Sal, with Stevie? His initial reaction to Danny’s coming? Working around the place? Pat’s arrival, the issue of the drugs? The Italians, Thailand? The flying in of drugs? Doing the deal, the money? His flying with Danny, the crash, his delirium? His being rescued and recovery?

6. Kulu, his presence in the town, with the family, his befriending Danny, looking after him? The supernatural aspects of his presence, guidance, the rituals?

7. Sal, her wariness of Danny, bonding with him? Stevie, age, friendship, games, attraction?

8. Pat, the Australian drug dealers? Carlo and the visitors, their wealth, the deals for the drugs, money, deceiving the police?

9. A combination of the lyrical, the dramatic and the melodramatic?