LEX AND RORY




Australia, 1994, 90 minutes, Colour.
Angus Benfield, Fiona Mc Gregor.
Directed by Dean Murphy.

Lex and Rory was originally intended as a cinema exercise by its writer-director, Dean Murphy. However, in asking a friend to photograph it, he acquired a film crew and the film became a feature film. It had cinema release and was quite well reviewed even though it did not break any box-office records at all.

However, it gave Dean Murphy the opportunity to continue writing and directing. Subsequent films included the comedy Muggers as well as Strange Bedfellows with Michael Caton and Paul Hogan.

The film is a gentle film about young people – with some echoes of nerds and the Bill and Ted films. Angus Benfield is a young man who is in contact, only by phone, with Dai, Fiona Mc Gregor. They finally meet at the end after going through all kinds of communications which even include aspects of Aliens on Earth.

1. A local Melbourne film? The age of the writer-director? Amateur status? The quality of the film-making?

2. The Melbourne settings, Albury? The musical score?

3. The echoes of the Bill and Ted adventures? Language, visions? Nerds? Friendship? Growth and change?

4. A teenager’s film, the main characters? The presentation of macho Australians – and comparisons with romantic Australians?

5. The credits, the car, talk, girls, school, the room? The classes? Music? The bonds? The gross get-up? Changes?

6. Dai, at the shop, her relationship with her mother and father, with her brother? Fashion? Tom and love? The clash? School, the room, the fight, her being sorry? Her relationship with her girlfriend?

7. The girlfriend, seen at school, listening? The letters?

8. Lex and his characters, personality, age, lack of experience? The attraction, his fear? The phone calls, talking? His identity? Listening to Dai, helping her? The searchlight?

9. Dai, at home, at school, her friend? Her relationship with Tom?

10. The climax, Dai, her moods, her even contemplating suicide? Lex, his listening and advice? His being afraid? The light? Owning up to what had happened?

11. The portrait of Dai’s father? The dominating parents?

12. Her brother, a nerdish type? The beatings? His mother and(**in?) the box? The dog? Tough, the birthday, the armour?

13. Lex and Rory, characters, Australian macho – and Australian heart? A film with a happy moral? Humorous and serious?