Michael Caton, Last Cab to Darwin

An excellent Aussie movie – that’s the problem

It’s an excellent Aussie movie – because it so well depicts, unintentionally, the fundamental problem of Australian culture.

Particularly, it is another brick in the very large wall of Aussie stoic ‘decency‘ (‘behaviour that conforms to accepted standards of morality or respectability’) in the face of loss, failure and defeat. Last words in the movie: ‘No pain any more’…’There goes the sun.’

Burke and Wills, Ned Kelly, Waltzing Matilda, Gallipoli, Lasseter, Phar Lap, Dad and Dave, Whitlam on the steps of parliament house… the list goes on and on.

It amounts to a commitment (with regard to this film, saccharine, with regard to Whitlam’s removal by a U.S. and British supported coup, grim) which is extremely damaging to the vision which is required in order to build this country and to which a healthy culture would respond positively.

Australian film-makers should reflect on what they already know – that film is a powerful medium – either to reinforce cultural stereotypes or to challenge them.

Images: top/bottom

I highly recommend the much more thorough review of the film which can be accessed via the ‘top’ link.