BLESSED

Australia, 2009, 115 minutes, Colour.
Frances O’ Connor, Miranda Otto, Deborra -Lee Furness, Victoria Harilabidou, Monica Manghan, William Mc Innes.
Directed by Ana Kokkinos.

Rhonda (Frances O' Connor), a wayward mother, tells the police that her children, whom she loves but neglects, are blessings. This comes towards the end of this fine but bleak film where we have shared a little of the lives of children and teenagers who seem to have little or limited experience of blessing. Nor do the mothers of these children seem to be blessed.

The film is directed powerfully by Ana Kokkinos (the tough Melbourne dramas, Only the Brave, Head On, The Book of Revelation). The collaborative screenwriters include playwright Andrew Bovell (Lantana) and novelist Christos Tsiolkas (author of Head On, who surely followed the themes of this film -teenage, Greek, homosexual – with a sequence here of a video interview of a confused young man by a predatory male).

The film's structure enables the audience to experience (after an introduction to the quietly sleeping children) the children's lives and antagonisms towards their mothers. Later, we re-visit these scenes but see what is actually happening with the parents (not always exactly what the children see).

The range of children: two fourteen year old schoolgirls, one dependent on the other who is of Greek background; a rather young brother and a sister (of limited intelligence) who are wandering the streets and who sleep in a dumpster; a fourteen year old boy who attempts to rob a bewildered old woman; the eighteen year old struggling with his sexual identity. Quite a complex cross-section of troubled children – and very well performed.

The actors portraying the parent are better known and give impressive performances: Frances O' Connor, Mirando Otto as a self-absorbed mother with a gambling addiction, Victoria Haralabidou as the Greek mother, a seamstress, Deborra- Lee Furness and William Mc Innes as the parents of the boy who robs the widow. The widow is played by Monica Maughan.

There is an arresting sub-plot of an aboriginal man brought up by the robbed widow – inconclusive in its plotting but asking the audience to empathise and imagine (with the help of some brief flashbacks to the man as a child) what happened between the young boy and his foster mother.

The action takes place over one day, which limits the duration of the drama but intensifies the love-hate relationships.

The other prominent theme is that of death – temptation to suicide, suicide attempts, accidental and tragic deaths.

Many recent Australian films have taken audiences into our city's ordinary suburbia, both happiness and unhappiness. Maybe Blessed, which does offer some final hopes, indicates that simple listening, affirmation and love are the important first steps of hope.

1.The strong impact? Drama, children, parents? Serious and grim?

2.The structure of the film: the introduction to the children sleeping, the section on children, the section on parents? Seeing the two sides of the same action in succession?

3.The city, homes, streets, dumpsters, studios, shops? The musical score and the same theme throughout for the serious reflection?

4.The title, Rhonda’s comment about the children as blessings?

5.The overall picture of the children, their age, gender, place in the family, relationship with mother, with father, absent fathers? Being hurt, perceiving themselves as being hurt? Hatred and love? Suffering? The effect on them – and their being bold and brazen, crime, immaturity? Authority figures? Issues of death, suicide, opting out?

6.The parents, love for their spouse or not, the absent spouses? The focus on the mothers, responsibility and irresponsibility? Treatment of the children? Ignoring them, disliking them? Violent behaviour, not understanding them? The impact of deaths and their reaction?

7.Daniel’s story: his age, at home, in his room, the tension between his parents and his observing this, the issue of money, taking money, searching the house, being accused of taking the large sum, his anger, going out, his friends, going to rob the old woman, her confronting him, calling him Jimmy, giving him the money, his searching her bag, their talking, her giving him the book, The Grapes of Wrath, helping him? Urging him to say, “I love you,” to say it to his mother? His confronting the woman, the injury, the blood, her death, his fear, crying, going home, taking the pills, writing the note to his mother? Discovered, being taken to hospital, survival?

8.Katrina, waking up, her mother asleep, disdain for her mother, meeting up with Trisha, the dependence on Trisha and her influence?

9.Trisha, the Greek background, the religious shrine, the shrine to her father? Her brother being away – but phoning her? Her mother, disdain for her mother, her mother’s sewing, the uniforms, stealing them? Cheeky and taunting people? In the shop with Katrina, trying on the dresses, stealing? Running away? Trisha being dominant? The police, the interrogation, the smart retorts, the threats? The police and their treatment, Katrina silent, eventually telling the truth? Going home, encountering her mother, her mother’s concern about Arthur, thinking he was dead in the river? Her not telling her the truth? Going to the morgue, talking to her mother, her mother slapping her? The return home, her true self? Arthur at home? The reasons for Trisha’s behaviour? Her future?

10.Katrina returning home, her mother, her mother’s gaudy dress, her mother talking about her own shoplifting? The relationship, hope, lack of hope?

11.Arthur, his age, the Greek family background, his dead father, his mother, running away, phoning Trisha? Making the phone call for the appointment, the interview, the gay man and the camera, the man interviewing him, about his experiences, the co-worker with his father, behaviour, the photography, stripping, performance, his weeping? By the river, the possibility of suicide, his going home? His future?

12.Jimmy, at work, the racist sneers, his skill in examining the house and the wiring, the shonky deal? Race issues? In himself, his education, at home? The news of his mother’s death, going to the morgue, denying that the woman was his mother, his weeping, going to the house, remembering his own mother, being brought to the house, the woman looking after him, giving him opportunities, reading and study? Audiences wondering what happened?

13.The old woman, in herself, her fears, Daniel and the robbery, treating him, giving him the book, urging him to say, “I love you,” fearful of people at the door, the flashbacks to the past, her helping Jimmy? Her death?

14.Natalie and Peter, the first impressions, the tension in the kitchen, their reaction to Daniel, the issue of his taking money, the accusation, Natalie and her relationship with Daniel? Their arguing as perceived by Daniel? The issue of the seven hundred missing dollars, the time, the mortgage? Peter stealing? Natalie going to work, the sick man, her looking after him, paying? Their meeting, her explanation of her response to him, Peter and his being glum? Going to the bar, meeting the gambling mother, giving her the money, giving her more, his smiling, her being happy? His asking for the truth about the sick man? Finding Daniel, Natalie reading the note, realising that he had overdosed? At the hospital, the bond with Daniel? Peter’s reaction? The possibilities for a future relationship?

15.The mother who gambled, seeing her asleep, her life, the gambling, the casino, the machines, her drinking, the argument with the woman who took her machine? The appeal and the scene? In the bar, encountering Peter, his giving her the money, her disbelief, her being happy? Buying the dress, admiring herself, the irresponsibility? Katrina coming home, the police, her comments about her own shoplifting? The clash, her insensitivity? A bond with Katrina or not?

16.The young children, away from home, the boy, on the streets, his life, hungry, his sister finding him, her lack of intelligence, playing, his looking after her? His discovering the truth about the men, the reaction, the phone call to his mother, the abuse, his mother in the café, his going past? Playing with his sister, the bond between them? The toys? Going in the bin, the flame, the pathos of their death? Inseparable in death?

17.Rhonda, her life, the men in her life, the children, her irresponsibility, the different men, the abuse? The glimpse of one man, his demands on Rhonda, going out? Her ignorance, the phone call, the rendezvous? Seeing the boy, her trying to follow him? The information about his death, her reaction, the police, the morgue, her not wanting them to be separated? Saying they were blessings? Yet her dancing, escape, the policewoman watching her in amazement?

18.The Greek mother, Trisha hating her, Trisha’s comments about her, the absent son? Her work, making the uniforms? The pressure to make more? The shrine to her husband, the religious overtones? The radio, the information about the boy in the river? Assuming it was her son, her anxiety, phone calls, being cut off? Trisha being brought home? Going to the morgue, the truth, her mother slapping Trisha? The reconciliation? Discovering the son at home?

19.Arthur, away from home, ringing Trisha? His attitude towards his mother? The Greek background, religious? His making the appointment, going, the interviewer, a anonymity behind the camera, just the voice? The discussions, his revealing his life, his relationship with the man, the worker? The aftermath of the interview, the tears, his contemplating the river, going home?

20.The police, the interrogations of the two girls? The policewoman with Rhonda? The staff at the morgue?

21.The anonymity of the pornographer, the camera, the interviews, the requests, the insensitivity?

22.The race issue with Jimmy, the ethnic issues?

23.A cross-section of city society? In suburbia? Happiness and unhappiness, love-hate?