THE INTERVIEW

Australia, 1998, 104 minutes, Colour.
Hugo Weaving, Tony Martin, Aaron Jeffrey, Paul Sonkkila, Michael Caton.
Directed by Craig Monahan.

The Interview is an intense psychodrama, well played by Hugo Weaving as a man, seemingly an innocent, charged with crimes and interrogated by Tony Martin and Aaron Jeffrey as detectives. This is a battle of wits for survival, for cunning, for playing power games and for solving a crime. The film plays on the ordinary citizen's fear of the police as well as the tradition of Australian anti-authoritarianism. The ending is ambiguous. The director says the opinion we take should reveal something of our own attitudes to the police to ourselves. Intense psychodrama.

1.The impact of the film? Its multi-awards and acclaim?

2.The style of the film, small-budget, the locations, the interiors and exteriors, the muted colour, the sound engineering and atmosphere, the score, editing, camera angles? The blend of the real and surreal?

3.The title, Steele and the interrogation of Eddie Fleming? The officers, Internal Affairs investigation? The verbals, the tapes, the videos? The interactions, personal, those watching, the re-watching of the tapes?

4.The fishbowl atmosphere, the radio, the camera? The focus on Eddie?

5.The raid, early in the morning, the guns, the police, Eddie in bed, the intrusion on the private citizen, brutality, no reasons given, the experience of the violence, his being taken into the room, wetting his pants, changing? The landlady?

6.The officer and the interview, the room, the visuals, the ‘Kafkaesque’ angles? Audio, video? Internal Affairs?

7.The interview, the given time, the tape, the questions, the brutal impact? The issue of food?

8.Eddie: the loner, his job, on the dole, the car, the shops, Ballarat, suspect? Beecroft, the story and the visuals? The others? The plausibility? The victim? Attention, the victimised? The lawyer and the truth? The food? Controlled and control? The discussions with Inspector Jackson? The officers from Internal Affairs? The twist? The shrewdness?

9.Steele and his reputation, getting results, Prior? The clashes? The refresher course? Video, handling? The information? Exercising wit and shrewdness? Deceived? The pressure, Jackson? The journalist? The pressure from Internal Affairs? Fixing things? The survivor? Character? Police, the tapes, the intervals?

10.Prior and his being young, his attitude, lording it over others, violence, swearing, caught, reactions?

11.Internal Affairs, their work, secrecy, agenda, handling the situation, using the tapes?

12.Jackson and his authority, the media, the truth, with Eddie, not shaking hands?

13.The role of the journalist, the leaks, the warnings?

14.Mrs Beecroft and her story?

15.The importance of police work, the killers, the results, the legwork? The interviews, the petrol station? The police and the newspapers? The new squad?

16.Individuals, the state, police, society? The ambiguity of the ending – and the smile?