BEAUTIFUL KATE
Australia, 2009, 95 minutes, Colour.
Ben Mendelsohn, Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths, Sophie Lowe, Maeve Dermody.
Directed by Rachel Ward.
What begins like a typical enough story of a middle-aged man travelling home to see his dying father turns into a sad drama of family hatreds, burying of skeletons and gradual revelation of truth and tragedy.
Rachel Ward, better known as an actress, has adapted a novel by and directed Beautiful Kate. She also directs her husband, Bryan Brown, as the patriarch of a dysfunctional family.
The setting is an outback property. Bruce (Bryan Brown) had ambitions to be a politician but they were not fulfilled. His wife died leaving him four children to bring up. He goaded his two sons, Cliff and Ned, idolised one daughter, Kate, and took for granted his youngest, Sally, who finished up looking after him for years. Bryan Brown has always been good portraying a sympathetic, rugged Australian type. More recently, he has shown that he can do tough and harsh (Australia). With the flashbacks in this film, we can see him in his vigorous years as well as his dying.
The focus of the film, however, is Ben Mendelsohn, as Ned, turning forty, a writer,who comes with his aspiring actress girlfriend, after an absence of twenty five years. The absence is one of the mysteries that presents itself. The other mystery is the deeper issue of what happened, especially to Ned and Kate who are both long dead.
The film takes up some taboo issues of sexual relationships within families and presents the complexities of emotions and consequences.
There is strong support from Rachel Griffiths as Sally, a good woman who has given her life to caring for her father and working selflessly for the local aboriginal community.
A strong Australian story that probes problems not usually seen on screen.
1.The collaboration between Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown? Their experience?
2.The adaptation of the novel, the structure of the film: the visit, the care for Bruce, the writing of the story, the crises? The memories? The revelation of the truth step by step? The overall effect for Ned and his confronting the truth?
3.The taboo topic, incest, the reality, the treatment of the issue? The effect of the experience on Kate, Ned? The tragedy?
4.Ned and Toni travelling, the distances, the bush and the desert, hitting the kangaroo? Reaching Wallumbi, the house, the buildings, the property? The sense of realism? The score?
5.Ned and Toni, the drive, the reasons for the journey, the distances, Ned and his intensity, his relationship with Toni, the promise to marry her? The kangaroo? The bush background? Toni and her dismay at Wallumbi? Arriving, the night, Sally greeting them, making them at home? The home situation, Bruce ill and dying? Ned’s long absence, hatred for his father? The memories of the deaths of Cliff and Kate?
6.Bruce, under care, his age, heart condition? Dominant personality? Disagreeable and sarcastic? His reaction to Ned? Reliance on Sally? The memories, his wife’s death, close to her, trying to emulate her for caring for the children, unable to? His harshness towards Cliff, idolising Kate, despising Ned, trusting Sally? His believing that Kate was his achievement? Ned finally saying that Kate was not his achievement, Sally and her self-giving was an achievement?
7.Toni, aspiring actress? Strutting around, her ego, relationships, bored? The heat? Starting to help Bruce, discussions with Sally and thinking that Sally was slaving her life away? Reading Ned’s story, her reaction, horror, leaving? Ned wanting to marry her, his future with her?
8.Ned and his feelings, turning forty, his career, his writing? His love for Sally, her caring for her father? The long absence – and the gradual revelation of the reasons? Sally going away, his having to help, his father wetting the bed, changing the bed, sitting him in his chair, trying to feed him, his father spitting out the food, getting the bottle for him? Their sparring?
9.Toni looking at the photo album, discovering the caption ‘Beautiful Kate’? The mystery about Kate? The flashbacks? Seeing Kate through her father’s eyes, Ned’s eyes? The subjective camera? Kate when young, working on the property, flirtatious, the episode in the bed with Ned, the episode at the water? Kate’s reaction? Afterwards, the secret, her taking the initiative, flaunting, jealous, the dance, the experience with Cliff, the crash and her death? Sally and the revelation of what happened between Kate and Cliff before the crash?
10.Cliff as the oldest, mild, picked on, hard-working, fighting Ned in disgust, at the dance, Kate, the way home, the suggestions of what happened, his being found hanged?
11.Sally as a good woman, tough, caring for her father alone, working for the Aboriginal community, no time for herself? Cooking and cleaning? Going away for the days, the return, Bruce’s death? The revelation of the truth to Ned? Seeing her at work with the Aboriginal children?
12.Bruce’s death, the funeral, the reading of the Scripture?
13.The portrait of families, hard lives, love, dominance and demands, the effect? Dreams and consequences? The sexual relationships, the tragedies? The long hatreds?
14.The development of the characters, their crises – insights?
