SUMMER CODA

Australia, 2010, 108 minutes, Colour.
Rachael Taylor, Alex Dimitriades, Andy Mc Phee, Angus Sampson, Nathan Phillips, Jacki Weaver, Susie Porter.
Directed by Richard Gray.

The countryside of Victoria has never looked so good. They don’t make many films set in Mildura or Red Cliff, but here is the opportunity to see one. This is a beautiful film to look at.

It is often said that Australian films are ‘quirky’, which usually means that they are slightly off-kilter with amusing situations and sometimes bemusing characters. Summer Coda is not quirky in that sense. Rather, it might be described as ‘European’. This refers to its look, its unhurried pace (a film not afraid of rather longer silences between characters, letting the audience stay with close-ups without words and do their own reflections without rush), its portrait of characters in landscapes, its serious look at relationships, its expectations that audiences will bring an adult sensibility to the story.

Rather surprisingly, the film begins and ends with brief scenes set in Nevada (shot in California). We are introduced to Heidi (Rachel Taylor), an enigmatic young woman who is playing the violin alone at home. (The soundtrack is frequently violin music with some piano.) She seems to make a decision suddenly and is on a plane, arriving in Melbourne, hitching her way to Mildura.

Heidi wants to get to her father’s funeral, burdened by too few memories of him as well as years of disappointment at the distance between them. On the way, she gets a lift from Michael, an orange grower from Red Cliff (Alex Dimitriades fine in a better role than he is usually given). We don’t learn much about his back story until later in the film.

The funeral brings its own tensions, especially with Heidi’s father’s wife (Suzie Porter). Heidi takes refuge with Mike in the days before she returns to America.

Much of the latter part of the film is spent in the orange groves, picking, talking, working and relaxing, as a group of Mike’s old friends turn up for harvesting the oranges. (It is all so agreeable in the sun, near the river, camping out, genial company for the work that it could serve as an advertising enticement for casual fruit-picking in the region.) There is a long set piece, much like those meals always to be found in French films, where we spend a lot of time listening to the talk and getting to know the characters.

And that is what we do. The supporting cast make Mike’s friends become quite distinct and idiosyncratic as we get to know them. But, with compliments to Richard Gray’s writing and direction (his first feature film) and the engaging performances from Rachel Taylor and Alex Dimitriades who create persons we can be interested in and care about, Heidi and Mike are substantial characters with strong emotions to help them develop aims for their lives.

The action takes place over the summer – and there is reference to a coda, music composed by Heidi’s father, left in a box of memories for her.

1. The title, the duration of the summer, the coda and the music, the violin?

2. An Australian story, the American framework, Nevada? The contrast with Victoria, the highlighting of Victoria, Mildura, Red Cliffs, the orange groves, the Victorian countryside?

3. The musical score, the violin, the piano? Songs?

4. Melbourne, the country, the towns, the spaces, beauty, the Murray River, the towns and the orange groves?

5. The European style of the film, pace, the use of time, long sequences, close-ups, silences, giving the audience time to get to know the characters, reflect and react?

6. The importance of the themes of death, relationships, life cut short, time, sadness, regrets?

7. Heidi’s story, Rachael Taylor and her screen presence, the audience getting to know her yet her remaining an enigma? The opening, in Reno, her clothes, house, playing the violin, the Nevada towns, the mountains? Her decision to leave? The country and western music for the plane sequence?

8. Arriving in Melbourne, different atmosphere, the Sky Bus, the railway station, getting the taxi, visiting Jen, some explanations about her background, her father’s death? Jen’s support?

9. Hitchhiking, the Australian atmosphere, the various lifts, the welcome lifts, the man and his molesting her, her getting out of the car? Playing and busking, eating in the restaurant, Michael seeing her, her walking, his giving her the lift, driving, talking, the meal, the games of pool, the rivalry, her abilities, the brutal attack, with the violin, Michael and his being bashed?

10. Michael taking her to the funeral, the priest and his words, Angela and her reaction, Lachlan and his meeting his half-sister? The clash with Angela? The issue of the will, money? Heidi wanting to see the records – especially the one that her father had made for her? The lyrics of the song, the affirmation of her and her choices? Her driving away?

11. The decision to go to Michael, the impressions of Michael, the oranges, the deliveries? Being bashed? Giving her the lift, talking? Taking her to the funeral, his going home? Receiving Heidi? Enigmatic about his back-story?

12. The picking of the oranges, the friends’ arrival, the long sequence of the meal, their friendliness, spirit amongst themselves, tall stories, food, drink? Their camping? Working? Hard work, competitiveness? Going for the swims, their chatter, their concern about Michael?

13. The group in itself, Frankie and his stories, flirting, approaching Heidi? The couple, their being together, the man urged to go naked into the river, Ella and her concern about Michael? Morty, the Aboriginal background? Telling Heidi the true story about Michael? Joey, his friendliness? The long scenes of work? Heidi in this atmosphere?

14. The orange groves, the Murray River, the details of the work, realism?

15. Heidi and the work, her decision to leave, the phone call from Lachlan, her not wanting to take it? Drinking with Michael? The attraction? The bath, the massage? Michael and his resistance? Heidi going for the swim with Monty, hearing the truth, Michael’s wife’s clothes?

16. Michael, his story, the flashback, with his wife and son, the car, the crash?

17. Heidi and her reaction, going to dinner with Michael, visiting Lachlan, getting the record? Her leaving, going back to her ordinary life, her job? The importance of her violin, her father teaching her, his work as a disc jockey, making the record for her, the flashbacks? His bequeathing the box to her, Angela giving it to her, the photos and her looking at them at various times, the summer coda music?

18. Going back to Reno, Michael and his arrival in the US, the chat with the cabbie, going to meet Heidi? Their future?