GALORE

Australia, 2014, 100 minutes, Colour.
Ashleigh Cummings, Lilly Sullivan, Toby Wallace, Maya Stange.
Directed by Rhys Graham.

It is summer in Canberra, the summer of 2008, the summer of the bushfires which came into the city suburbs and destroyed homes and took four lives. Throughout the film, the camera notices the columns of smoke in the far distance, then the approach of the fires and finally the city and its people surprised by the extent of the devastation.

The approach of the fires and their destruction – and purging – might serve as something of a motif for the mood of this film and its portrait of teenagers in an idle summer.

There are four characters at the centre of the film, principally a young girl, Billie, played with some force, even dominance by Ashleigh Cummings. She has been friends with Laura, Lilly Sullivan, since they were very young but now the moods and crises of teenage have caught up with them. Danny (Toby Wallace) is Laura’s boyfriend but right from the beginning we see him passionately kissing Billie. Billie is no slouch at flirting and going further. Laura, on the other hand, is somewhat restrained, inveterate writer in her diary, discussing with Billie just what she should do about a sexual relationship.

Into the group comes Isaac, an Islander living in a shelter where Billie’s mother does charitable work. She has pity on Isaac and brings him home to live in the caravan on the property, much to Billie’s displeasure. However, he is drawn into the group and their activities with the other teenagers with nothing to do and virtually nowhere to go except to dams and waterholes. A focal point of their partying is New Year Eve.

As the days draw on with sunbaking, swimming, needling each other, conversations, walks… Billie drinks too much, clashes with Danny, is caught up in her relationship with Laura and takes a car owned by some of the other boys and goes on a reckless drive which has, of course, some dire results.

This film is well made, the performances good. However, one of the difficulties is that we see what the characters do but often, very often, it is hard to appreciate what is motivating them. This applies even to Billie and her behaviour, the audience having to observe her and try to work out what is driving her. There is some motivation in Laura, especially as she becomes infatuated with Isaac, with a sensual scene between the two of them. Hardest to know what is driving Danny or whether he is simply going with the flow.

Later in the film there is a funeral sequence with the parents of one of the group speaking about their child – but indicating that they knew very little about their child. This is mostly true even of Billie’s mother, good-natured and trusting rather than really knowing what was happening with her daughter.

Admittedly, this is not a treatise on the behaviour of adolescents. Rather, it is a portrait of four young people over a short space of time. The frequently self-absorbed Billie has to come to terms with her life, face up to some responsibility for what she has done. Her experiences are something like the fire which swoops down on the city, burns and destroys – and perhaps purges enough so that there could be a better rebuilding.

1. An Australian story about teenagers? Universal story? Life as a mess, adolescents being just kids? A cautionary tale?

2. The Canberra settings, homes, caravans, the dams, roads, the hospital, buses and cars? Authentic atmosphere? For an idle summer for teenagers?

3. The bushfires, the reality of 2008? Continual smoke being seen, the threat, the danger, the power of destruction? Information about the houses destroyed, lives lost? The symbol of what was happening for the central characters? The details as described in Laura’s diary?

4. The title, with reference to the characters? Their lifestyle?

5. The focus on Billy, her age, character, relationship with her mother, absent father? Self-absorbed? Her relationship with Danny, the long opening kiss, the other sex sequences, her focus on sex? A long friendship with Laura, the discussions, urging Laura in her sexual experiences? The other friends, their sharing? Billie as a leader – or being led? The activities, the New Years Eve party, swimming and sunbaking, flirting? Her mother bringing Isaac and putting him in the caravan? Antagonism towards him? Her criticisms of her mother’s social and charity work? With other boys, the young boy devoted to her? Her moods, attitude towards Danny? Working in the pizza parlour, being late? Confiding in Laura, drinking? Mad behaviour, taking the car, the reckless driving, the fear for the passengers, swerving to avoid the kids on the road, leaving the car, Laura and her injury, Billie’s concern? Watching Laura with Isaac, waiting for them? In the bus, Laura getting out, the collapse, hospital, death, Billie’s reaction? The responsibility? Going to the police or not? The boys whose car was stolen, their confronting Billy on the bridge of the dam? Isaac giving Laura’s diary to Billie, reading it, writing her love in it? Her regrets? The fires, leaving with her mother, taking the diary, being turned back by the police? Billie and developing a sense of responsibility, looking beyond herself? Her talk with the young boy devoted to her? The theme of the fires – and the possibility of purging and rebuilding?

6. Laura, her friendship? Sharing things together? Her lack of sexual experience? The sleepovers in the house? Joining in the activities, the attraction to Isaac, the diary? In the, the crash? The attraction towards Isaac, in the cameraman, asking to see him? The sexual response? In the bus, her collapse, her death?

7. Danny, his age, the infatuation with Billie, how much love, the preoccupation with sex? His maturity, immaturity? Billie on and off with him? Attitudes towards Laura? In the car, his upset? Skateboarding? At the funeral, attitude towards Billie, in the car with her, at the end?

8. Isaac, Billie’s mother and bring him from the centre, to the caravan? An Islander? His love of reading? His friend’s clash with Billie? Sharing with the youngsters, being urged to go out, Billie’s spurning him at first, sharing with Laura, the attraction, the swims, in the car, reckless, the crash, giving Billy the diary, the sex scene with Laura?

9. The glimpse of Billy’s mother, relationship with her daughter, her social concern?

10. The parents at the funeral, the speech by Laura’s parents – and their not knowing what was happening to their children?

11. Kids, idle, holidays, summer, immature behaviour, reckless and irresponsible, limited experience? The steps on their great maturity?