MYSTERY ROAD: ORIGIN

Australia, 2022, 6x55 minutes, Colour.

Mark Coles Smith, Tuuli Narkle, Daniel Henshall, Toby Leonard Moore, Steve Bisley, Salma Geransar, Clarence Ryan, Hayley McElhinney, Lisa Flanagan, Caroline Brazier, Grace Chow, Serena Yunupingu, Jayden Popik, Leonie Wyman, George Shevtsov, Mary Agnes O’Loughlin, Kelton Pell.

Directed by Dylan River.

Aboriginal Detective, Jay Swann, was introduced in the film, Mystery Road, directed by Ivan Sen. It was so successful that there was a film sequel, Goldstone, and two television series. Jay Swann was played effectively, archetypal it, by Aaron Pedersen.

Building on the success of the films and series, it was decided to explore the younger Jay Swann. Mark Coles Smith had built up a reputation for dramatic acting (and some comic talent for sketches in Sean Micaleff’s Mad as Hell). He is a very good choice for the role – and audiences can accept him as a younger version of Aaron Pedersen.

The setting is 1998, a country town, a mining family and wealth, indigenous population including Jay’s father, a former rodeo rider, and his brother. Steve Bisley plays the chief police officer. The plot involves the death of Jay’s father, further complications about money deals concerning the mining family, their home being invaded and robbed and a group of thieves in the town wearing Ned Kelly masks. There is also an aboriginal family, the mother with terminal cancer, the death of the son and the mystery, another son and his wife and daughter, aboriginal, and Mary – who will marry Jay and will appear in the television series. There is also very concerned legal aid, the lawyer of the town and his eccentric taxi-driving father.

Certainly plenty of complications to keep the audience interested, detection, revelations.

Filmed in Western Australia with a range of impressive scenic backgrounds.

1. The original story, the franchise, the films, the television series? The cumulative effect? The characters, the cast?
2. Jay’s Swann, detective, Aaron Pedersen creating the role? The initial stories of his detective work, his character, loner, working with other police, other characters and situations, his former wife, daughter? These themes being incorporated into the Origin story?
3. 1998, Western Australia, the place of aborigines, racism, the mentalities, the communities? Life in the towns, the background of mining, the class differences, wealth? Resentments? Robberies and crime? Murders? Revenge? The role of the police? The musical score?
4. Audience interest in the origin of J? Bringing the previous stories to this one? Ideas of Swann’s personality, style, way of work?
5. The revelation of background, family, Jack as Jay’s father, his brother? The story of his father, family, horses, the rodeo? Change? Drinking? His wife leaving him, living with someone else on the town? His sons leaving home? Jay and his return, the meetings, talk, the difficulties? Issues of honour? Jack’s death, the theories? The issue of money and investments? The company? Sputty and his connections? The connection with Patrick? Amanda and her honouring Jack?
6. Sputty, his life, drinking? Relationship with his brother, his father’s death, the service? Clothes? The revelation of the link with Patrick? The issue of his father’s ashes?
7. Peter, local police, character, supporting Jay, his role in the town, his work, resignation, the final revelation, prison?
8. At the police station, Max, her personality, the initial encounter with Jay, rough, seeming touch of racism, her further activities, involvement, suspicions? Ultimately on the side of the law? Cindy, the apprentice, Asian background, sometimes a bewildered, going into action?
9. The racist, supremacist group, the garage, the Ned Kelly masks, their role in the town, the art robberies? The buildup to confrontations, fights?
10. Amanda, Patrick, the status of the family in the town, the heritage, memories of the past, affluence, the mines, yet Amanda and her concern for Jack, for Jay? Patrick, friendly, collaboration, but the final revelation, the money issue, the mine, the money deals, with Jack, with Sputty? A final confrontation?
11. The family, the matriarch, ill, the cancer, the visit to the hospital? Mary, daughter, role in the house, her role as a nurse? Xavier, the son, his wife and her background, the child? His being suspicious, collaboration with the police? The reality, his wife and her anger, relationship with Amanda and the family, resentment and revenge? The robberies? Leading to the violence? Xavier and his death?
12. Mary, the death of her brother seven years earlier, the mysterious circumstances, his body, the police investigation, no solution? His mother grieving, Xavier and the resentment? Mary, the relationship with Jay, her concealing the truth, her work at the hospital, the buildup to antagonism towards Jay, the truth, the final reconciliation?
13. The robberies, the hotel, the woman at the bar and her attitude? The ransacking of Amanda’s house? The motivations?
14. Amanda, wanting to honour Jack, the funeral ceremony, Jay invited, speech, Sputty present?
15. The lawyer in the town, the investigations, taking up the causes, the interviews, the pursuit of the truth, with the women, the leading to dangers, her being warned, her being abducted, freed from the tunnel?
16. The local lawyer, his father and driving taxis, the legal meetings and discussions, his warning to the newcomer? The revelation about the abductions, the father, his taking the girls, the tunnel, his mental state? Abducting Mary, the rescue?
17. The truth about the death of the brother, the cover-up, the moving of the body? The death of the taxi driver?
18. The portrait of the town, indigenous people, racism, the white population, the wealthy, the supremacists, the role of the police? Jay coming back to the town, his origins, the experience, coming to terms with his life, preparing him for further police work and investigations, and his marriage to Mary, the child? The taking up of these themes in the previous films and television series?