THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH

Australia, 2022, 80 minutes, Colour.

Jackie Marshall, Maisie Owens, Matthew Heys, Timothy Blundell.

Directed by Claire Pasvolsky.

A small-budget Australian film, starring Jackie Marshall and based on her own experiences.

Basically, this is a story of two women and friendship. Jackie Marshall plays Angie, a musician who have might have been more successful in her day, somewhat erratic, but a composer and a singer, her in her 40s and now seriously ill. She encounters Ruby, Maisie Owens, a runaway from a harsh domestic situation, a would-be musician. This is a film about the friendship between the two women, Angie teaching Ruby, Ruby bringing some life back into Angie, even to her performing.

1. The title? Originally from Howard Hartman about the norms for country and western music?
2. The Australian setting, home, streets, the pub, recording studio?
3. The songs, composed and sung by Jackie Marshall, style, lyrics, her performances in the pub, in the recording studio, by herself, with Ruby?
4. The introduction about Angie, winning awards, the commentary? The story, cancel when young, recovery, out and about, her career, success, the return of the cancer, risk removal, the further cancer in the bone? Not long to live?
5. Angie is a personality, alone, sabotaging her own career, the conflict with the record producer, payments, the clash with the owner of the bar, masking outside, is letting her in, success, giving her money? The final acclaim of the crowd?
6. The intercutting of the story of Ruby, her age, on the train, homeless, wandering, looking for an unlocked car, spending the night, in Angie’s car, Angie offering the cup, Ruby running away, Angie searching for her by car, finding her, bringing her in?
7. The relationship between the two, Ruby eventually saying her name, the story about her mother, her father and his search for her, visualised in flashbacks? The effect on Ruby? Angie, not telling her she was dying, kind, companion, sharing, encouraging Ruby with the guitar, the notes, lyrics from the heart, reducing the song?
8. Ruby discovering that Angie was dying and had not told her? Running away, going home, the cemetery and her mother’s grave?
9. Her father, meeting her cousin, there are escape?
10. Angie’s final songs, announcing her death, the impact on Ruby, her father visiting? The final images of her success with the song?