THE STILL POINT
Australia, 1985, 92 minutes, Colour.
Nadine Garner, Lyn Semmler, Steve Bastoni, Ben Mendelsohn.
Directed by Barbara Boyd Anderson.
The Still Point is a small-budget drama produced in Melbourne. It focuses on a teenage girl who has a hearing problem, partially deaf. She comes from a broken family, wants to cope with growing up and feels isolated. She feels lost at home training to be a ballet dancer and with her grandfather. The film focuses on a small period of time and shows her encounters with her mother, her possible stepfather, her grandfather, some teenagers where she goes on holidays. The material is that of many telemovies. It is done with some delicacy and Nadine Garner is effective in the central role of Sarah. Direction is by Barbara Boyd Anderson.
1. An entertaining film? Dramatic impact? Its achievement on a small budget? A humane story with a message?
2. The Australian style of the film? Universal impact? Teenagers, family, disabilities, marriage?
3. The theme of a disability and its effect on an individual, the impact on self-confidence, on interrelationships? Others treating a disabled person cruelly? Insight via story and empathy?
4. The Melbourne settings: school, home? the countryside, the beach? The use of locations for authenticity?
5. The use of close-ups – especially for the audience seeing and under standing Sarah? The reliance on visuals (to highlight the hearing disability and Sarah's introversion?
6. Sarah and her point of view? Audience sympathies with her? The ballet credits and the beauty of the dance, movement? Sarah moving without hearing? Audiences discovering Sarah's deafness (as people would in real life)? Sarah in herself, her age, puberty, relation ships, isolation? The importance of her deafness? Her hearing aids? Her having to ask for repetitions, not hearing, reactions in the art class? Her anger and taking out her hearing aids?
7. Sarah at home: seeing her with Barbara and Paul? Her being angry and rude? Disliking Paul and commenting on his smiling? Her outing with her father – and his avoiding issues? Barbara and her being busy? her wanting her father? The build-up to the holiday? he train-ride? The phone calls back to her mother? Her mother's arrival; the blue dress? Her offhand receiving of it? Highlighting the barriers with her mother? Her love for her grandfather and sharing with him? Paul's arrival and her continued rudeness? Fighting with her mother? The dramatic set-up of the final talk? Her mother speaking sympathetically, telling the story of her life, its effect on her? The possibility of accepting herself and her disability? Accepting her mother? Her mother's experience with having a deaf child? Paul as a stepfather? The future – and the final freeze-frame?
8. Barbara in herself, in the light of the story, her age, the marriage, the deaf baby, the difficulty of the birth, the aware ness of the disabled child, feelings of blame, the break-up of the marriage? The child spoiling the marriage? Her devotion to her daughter? Her patience and impatience? Hard work, need for relaxation? Attraction towards Paul, having him in the home? In love with him? Wanting to marry him? The right for her to marry? Asking her daughter's permission? Paul in himself, pleasant, his smiles, relaxed? Helping Barbara relax? Sensitive to Sarah? Her dislike of him? The comparison with her father and the meal?
9. The portrait of the kindly grandfather? His receiving his grand daughter, a companion for her, the bird-watching, the shared cooking and washing-up, the jigsaw puzzle, talking? Sarah relaxing, sharing her life? His being a father figure to her?
10. Sarah on holidays – quiet, shy, the jigsaw, drawing, art class, the walks, the box with the ballet dancer, her thinking to herself, her not being liked etc.?
11. The teenagers on the beach, the binoculars, laughing, fighting? Glimpses of the various characters? Typical teenage behaviour? Their attitudes towards Sarah? harshness and cruelty? Simone and her mother visiting? The begrudging invitation to the party? Sarah wearing the blue dress and looking out of place? Being laughed at? David dancing with her? Her being happy? meeting David? The clash on the beach with Simone? Going out with David, talking, sharing, hopes, the car, the carnival? The kiss? The apology? her liking for David? Her mother's advice?
12. David as pleasant, popular, on the beach, the party, his dancing with Sarah, talking and telling his story, the outing in the car, the carnival, Simone and drugs? David and his friends, the beer and the fight? The apology?
13. The ordinary world of youth: holidays, the beach, jobs, outings? Growing up, cruelty, sympathy, changing? Sarah as not being part of this world? The background of the girls being cruel to her in class?
14. The leisurely pace of the film: the atmosphere with the piano and the ballet? The pace of the film from Sarah's point of view? The delicacy of the pace? The final drama and Barbara confronting her daughter? Sarah's realisation – and the possibilities for a future?
