BLUEBACK

Australia, 2022, 102 minutes, Colour.

Mia Wasikowska, Radha Mitchell, Ilse Fogg, Liz Alexander, Eric Bana, Eddie Baroo, Clarence Ryan, Ariel Donaghue, Albert Mwanga, Perdrea Jackson.

Directed by Robert Connolly.

A fine Australian drama, a film for the whole family, current in its concern about the environment, especially Australia’s waters, from a novel by Tim Winton.

Tim Winton is the novelist of Western Australia, many of his stories taking place on the coast, the towns, the beaches, the waters and fishing, the range of sea creatures from small fish to giant whales (who do make some spectacular appearances at the end of the film).

There is a great deal of underwater photography throughout the film, but especially in the opening credits, inviting the audience into the depths, the extraordinary world of motion and colour, fish, small and large, the coral, the vegetation. For audiences who really enjoy this kind of underwater photography, Blueback is something of a treat.

This is the story of a mother and daughter, Dora and Abby.

We are first introduced to the older Abby (Mia Wasikowska), a marine biologist working on the Barrier Reef, checking on bleached coral. She receives a phone call to say that her mother has had a stroke and she immediately flies home.

While Abby’s response to her mother’s stroke is the central part of the film in the present, the main part of the action is in flashbacks, first of all to Dora with her daughter, aged eight, urging her to her first dive, throwing a ring overboard with Abby going down to retrieve it. There are many other flashbacks to this period in Abby’s life. However, the main flashbacks are to Abby when she is 15, skilled in diving,, involved in protests against beach developments and tourism in their town. And she has to make decisions about her further education – and the moving away from home and her mother.

We respond to the relationship between mother and daughter, with Ariel Donaghue as Abby aged eight and Ilsa Fogg as Abby aged 15.

But, there is an extraordinary vitality in the performance by Radha Mitchell as Dora, a widow, strong-minded, to say the least, devoted to her daughter, encouraging her in her water activities and investigations, her sketches of the creatures that she discovers. But Dora is also involved in confronting the developers, not against sabotage, and making her case to the town Council, enhanced by Abby’s drawings. In many ways, Dora is the centre and life of the film.

And, there is a welcome performance by Eric Bana as Macka, captain of the ship, a bit shady at times in his dealings, but a warm friend. There are also the teachers and school children of the town, and Abby’s strong friendship with the young aboriginal boy, Briggs.

Liz Alexander plays Dora silenced by the stroke, Abby devoted to her, friends from the town, and Dora being encouraged to some further movement, even to speak – and a moving sequence at the end, imaginatively, Dora affirming Abby and her, career, contribution to marine science.

(With its great appeal to the female audience, one can imagine that girls at school may well be considering science and marine biology as a career choice.)

Robert Connolly has contributed considerably to Australian cinema with such films as Three Dollars, Balibo, Paper Planes, The Turning, The Dry and its sequel, Force of Nature.

1. A film about the sea and oceans, life in the depths, fish, coral…? And marine biology, investigations, preserving ocean life?
2. The West Australian settings, the coast, the town, the beaches, at sea? The musical score?
3. The novel by Tim Winton, his stories of the West, of the coast, conservation and preservation?
4. The importance of the underwater photography, during the credits, the variety of life under the water, the undersea water sequences throughout the film?
5. The title, the groper, Abby and her bond, naming him Blueback, later tried to protect him from the spearfishers, punching Blueback, saving him?
6. A story of mother and daughter, Abby at eight, Abby at 15, her relationship with her mother, the sea? The present, Dora and her stroke, Abby returning to care for her mother, the memories? Dora’s death?
7. The focus on Abby, underwater investigations, coral samples, her team on the boat, the news of her mother’s stroke, flying to the west, hospital, her mother, age, the effect of the stroke, unable to speak, getting out of the hospital, back at home, Abby staying with her mother, talking, remembering? The scene where Dora speaks at the end, going into the water? Real? Hopeful? Her death and funeral?
8. Abby, at eight, her father’s death, with her mother, her mother’s spirit and enthusiasm, dropping the ring in the ocean, Abby having to dive down and retrieve it? Achievement? The bond between mother and daughter?
9. Abby at 15, her skill in the water? Her sketches? Her mother’s protests, the land development, the manager and confrontations? Her friendship with Briggs at school, the bond between them, friendship, the kiss? Her mother and the demonstrations, Abby at the back, her mother’s reactions? The choice of school, the uniform, leaving home and her mother?
10. The character of Mackka, carefree, his boat, fishing, Dora and the discussions, confrontations? Friendship with Abby? His support of Dora? The pathos of his death, lying on the ocean? His son, the boat, bequeathing it to Abby?
11. Dora, strong personality, the death of her husband, grief? Skill in the water, bond with her daughter, encouraging Abby in the water, the plans for development of the bay, the machinery coming in, on the beach, the manager, the protests? The support of the people at the bay? The Council, Dora and her speech, Abby and her sketches, the small victory?
12. The illegal fishing, the divers, their spears, going underwater, Abby hurrying on the boat, helping Blueback, defying the spears? The law, spears against the law? Court cases and halting the development?
13. Abby looking back on her life, the importance of her mother, the friends of the bay, the older Briggs, Merv, their support, the funeral?
14. The for the audience, female audience, young female audience – and the prospect of choosing marine biology for a career?