LUCKY MILES
Australia, 2007, 102 minutes, Colour.
Kenneth Morelada, Rodney Afie, Srisaco Sacopraseuth, Glen Shea, Sawung Jabo, Don Haney, Julian Jones, Andrew S. Gilbert, Deborah Mailman, Edwin Hodgman, Gerard Kennedy.
Directed by Michael James Rowland.
At the end of the film we see that 'Lucky Miles' is the name of a bus company that operates in the north west of Western Australia. This is the bus line that the characters in this film hope to use to get to Perth. They have no idea of how far away it is. The thing is, they are illegal immigrants, refugees stranded by Indonesian fisherman who have taken their money. One group is from Cambodia. Another group is from Iraq. They have made their way towards Australia via Indonesia and now they are lost. Some of them are found by the authorities. Two of them elude capture and are joined by one of the fishermen in a trek through the desert – the unlucky miles.
Since 1788, any newcomer to Australia has had to migrate, easily by plane or, with so many, with great difficulty by boat. The three men are different and strong characters. The Iraqui (Rodney Afif) is an educated man, an engineer. The Cambodian man (Kenneth Moraleda) is young and is looking for his Australian father who left his mother in Phnom Penh long since. The Indonesian fisherman is a bit of a rascal.
The writer director has based his screenplay on a number of actual stories of such migrants.
In pursuit is a genial group of army reservers, two of whom are aboriginal and who are able to track the men (but delayed when the non-aboriginal is careless with their van and it gets bogged). They are controlled from headquarters by a friendly voice (Deborah Mailman).
One of the striking features of Lucky Miles is its photography. Many of the vistas of desert or of coast are stunning.
The drama is not just the trek and its hardships and their almost dying in the inhospitable desert but also the interactions, short-temperedness and angers of the men. And, in the background, is a chorus of hard-drinking and tough workers who populate the outback.
The film is topical in its picture of people dreaming that Australia is their refuge and discovering harsher realities. It is topical in its presentation of the multi-ethnic variety that makes up Australia as well as an acknowledgement of aborigines in the 20th and 21st centuries.
1.The impact of the film, for Australians, for Asians, for the world audiences? Refugee issues? Cultural issues?
2.The themes reflecting the end of the 20th century and refugees? The conflicts of the 21st century? Based on true stories?
3.The refugees from Asia, from the Middle East? Boat people? Their rights for asylum? Their dreams, unreality about the nature of Australia, the terrain, the people? The brokers and their money, exploiting the refugees? The Australian police, government policy?
4.The title, the irony, the bus company, the role of buses and the absence of buses?
5.The boats, the refugees going to Indonesia, the fishermen getting the money, the fishermen’s stories, their families, debts, relationships, favours to nephews and sisters, deals, the inhumanity, the landing of the refugees, the lack of scruple? The lack of care? The ignorance about Australia, the population, the land? The boat sinking, the Indonesians having to experience the desert themselves, being lost?
6.The arrival, the boat, the underwater photography, the beach, the two groups, on the sand, looking for the bus, waving for the boat to stop, their decisions about walking? The importance of language, the subtitles?
7.The beauty of the Australian terrain, the quality of the colour photography, the beaches and the coast, the aerial shots, the desert, the sand, the mountains? The waterholes? The variety of landscapes in the Pilbara?
8.The Cambodians and their walking, lost, Arun and his desire to go to Perth, finding the pub, the talk in the pub, the drunks, the woman at the bar, drinking, calling the police, their being taken in the van, Arun hiding?
9.The Middle East group, walking, lost, arguing, Youssef and his objections, the man with the knife, the political differences, Youssef as a structural engineer and his intelligence? The fight, Youssef falling over the cliff, the man going back to the group, saying that Youssef was dead and lying? Their later being taken?
10.Ramalan and the lighter, the fire in the boat, sinking, on land, his wandering away from the group, through the desert?
11.Plank, Shayne and Tom, kicking the football, the radio messages, army reservists, their search, Tom and his ability to track, contacting Lisa and getting orders, following the group, the swim in the hole, the truck crashing into the waterhole, winching it out, finding the house? Their personalities, friendship, interactions, exasperation about the truck? The Aborigines and their tradition? Aborigines and tracking in the 21st century?
12.The encounters, Youssef and Arun meeting, the chase, Youssef losing his shoe, their clash, the biscuits and water, the map, their misreading it, not understanding the terrain at all? Meeting Ramalan, the conflict? Going to Perth or Broome? The shoes, the camp, the fire, the food, through the desert, the mountains, the waterhole? Their arguing, Ramalan and his taunting, their separation, all landing up in the hut, the food, the utility, the fire? Youssif and his skills, fixing the ute?
13.The cabin of the boat, harsh, the other man, their talking and walking along the shore? The separation, the man finding the hut, the Aborigines and giving him food – and his toying with the ice cream and jelly? The captain, taking the bike, riding, encountering the truck, pulling the gun, his fall after Ramalan hit him with the shovel? His arrest?
14.The ute, going backwards, Arun and his anger, going into the bush? Youssif and Ramalan, their hands up, the surrender, the gun? The police, the helicopter and the rescue? The others running to find Arun?
15.The TV news, the people in the bar watching it, the comment about Australians not being able to survive for a week? The information about the groups?
16.Arun, the prologue, his father leaving his mother in Cambodia? The end and his knocking at the door?
17.The important themes of refugees – and the moral responsibility of Australians and their treatment of refugees and their different cultures?
