Metro Australia — January 2018

http://www.metromagazine.com.au | © ATOM | Metro Magazine 195• 17

accelerate our worst impulses. Unlike the fallible, suggestible
human brain, the impeccably accurate grain footage allows
/LDP QR UHIXJH IURP D WUXWK KH ERWK FUDYHV DQG GUHDGV
But.SGDQ+HEDLV PRUH RSWLPLVWLF WKDQ LWV VFLĺ SUHFHGHQWV
%\ WKH HQG 5HQ KDV VXFFHVVIXOO\ WUHDWHG KHU RZQ WUDXPD 6KH
has coded her memories and desires into the digital prison of
the carceral software, transforming the essential loneliness of
WKH OHLVXUH H[SHULHQFHV HQDEOHG E\ 2WKHU/LIH LQWR RSSRUWXQLWLHV
to make peace with her past and mend broken relationships.

How Australian isOtherLife?

$IWHU VFUHHQLQJV DW WKH 6\GQH\ 0HOERXUQH DQG &LQÆIHVW2=
festivals,.SGDQ+HEDwas released worldwide via streaming
SODWIRUP 1HWĻL[ 7KH ĺOPpV YLUWXDOUHDOLW\ QDUUDWLYH DV ZHOO DV
LWV LQWHUQDWLRQDO SURGXFWLRQ KLVWRU\ VLWXDWHV LW ZLWKLQ D FRV
PRSROLWDQ VWUDQG RI $XVWUDOLDQ JHQUH ĺOPPDNLQJ WKDW LV OHVV
concerned with national identity than with exploring broader
philosophical and ethical concerns.
6XFK WRQDOO\ QHXWUDO $XVWUDOLDQ ĺOPV FDQ EH DSSHDOLQJO\ DW
PRVSKHULF \HW QRW TXLWH VDWLVI\LQJ LQ WKHLU WKLUG DFWV 5HYLHZLQJ
$QQNQR NE SGD 'TL@M !NCXforMetro, for instance, Alexandra
+HOOHU1LFKRODV REVHUYHV WKDW LW oLV D QRWKRUURU D QRWWKULOOHU
D QRWPHORGUDPD SUHFLVHO\ EHFDXVH LW VHWV XS H[SHFWDWLRQV
regarding each and then deliberately ignores them’.^8 /LNHZLVH
WKH 0HOERXUQHĺOPHG H[LVWHQWLDO P\VWHU\$WHS(Marek Polgar,
 SUHVHQWV DQ RWKHUZLVHRUGLQDU\ FLW\VFDSH DV D PD]H
to escape, a narrative puzzle to be solved, then resists any
illuminating answers.
,QGXVWU\ GLVFRXUVH LV ĺHUFHO\ GLYLGHG RYHU ZKHWKHU ORFDO ĺOP
makers should be pursuing international audiences (who dislike
excessively parochial Aussie stories), local multiplex audiences
(who enjoy traditional Australian imagery and lifestyles) or art
house audiences (who respond to ‘dark, depressing’ dramas).
*HQUH KDV EHHQ WUHDWHG DV D oVLOYHU EXOOHWp WKDW FDQ DSSHDO WR
all of these viewers at once, even though the Australian screen
LQGXVWULHV ODFN WKH LQIUDVWUXFWXUH WR VXSSRUW KLJKEXGJHW JHQUHV
VXFK DV VFLHQFH ĺFWLRQ^9 ,QFUHDVLQJO\ KRZHYHU ORFDO VFLĺ
t GHVSLWH VKRHVWULQJ EXGJHWV t LV EHLQJ GHĺQHG E\ LQQRYD
WLYH VFULSWV DQG VWULNLQJ YLVXDOV ,Q WKH FDVH RI +XJK 6XOOLYDQ
ZULWHUGLUHFWRU RI VFLĺ URPDQFH3GD (MkMHSD ,@M(2014), the
FOHYHU 86 LQGLH/QHLDQ6KDQH &DUUXWK  RIIHUHG D WHP
SODWH IRU KRZ WR oPDNH D WLPH WUDYHO ĺOP RQ D YHU\ ORZ EXGJHWp
OHDGLQJ KLP oWR ĺQG VRPHWKLQJ TXLWH XQLTXHp LQ KLV RZQ VWRU\^10
/XFDV WRR IHOW.SGDQ+HEDoFRXOG SXQFK DERYH LWV ZHLJKW >f@
:H FRXOG PDNH WKLV ĺOP DQG ZH FRXOG PDNH LW LQWHUHVWLQJ DQG
cool with the resources we had available.’^11 And it was always
JRLQJ WR EH D 3HUWK VWRU\ o1RW MXVW VKRRW WKHUH EXW DOVREH
VSHFLĺFDOO\ IURP WKHUH XQDVKDPHGO\p KH KDV VDLG^12
Perth is often portrayed as a place of insularity and isola
tion.Its uncanny frontier atmosphere was put to disturbing
use in apocalyptic drama3GDRD %HM@K 'NTQR=DN +LOGLWFK
  ZKLFK VKRZV VXQEODVWHG VXEXUELD JRQH IHUDO ZLWK
violent anarchy as the asteroid that’s already annihilated the
rest of the world approaches Western Australia. The same
EDNLQJ KHDW DQG PRUDO GHFD\ VXIIXVH VHULDONLOOHU WDOH'NTMCR
NE +NUD%HQ <RXQJ   'HVSLWH WKLV UHSXWDWLRQ ĺOPPDN
ers often shoot in Western Australia because of its natural,
rugged beauty. Yet.SGDQ+HEDuses Perth’s sleek emptiness to
VSHFXODWH WKDW WKH FLW\pV HDUO\V PLQLQJ ERRP FRXOG KDYH
IXQGHGD6LOLFRQ9DOOH\tVW\OHWHFKQRORJ\KRWVSRW)URP5HQpV

JODVVHGLQ DSDUWPHQW EXLOGLQJ WR WKH VXEWHUUDQHDQ EXQNHU

ZKHUH KHU VWDUWXS LV EDVHG LWpV VWULNLQJ WR VHH 3HUWKpV VXQQ\

RSHQQHVV WXUQHG LQ RQ LWVHOI LWpV D FOXH IRU ORFDO DXGLHQFHV WKDW

WKHUHpV VRPHWKLQJ D ELW JOLWFK\ DERXW WKH FRGH RI 5HQpV ZRUOG

The ocean – so often the focus of Perth stories – book

ends.SGDQ+HED $W WKH VWDUW RI WKH ĺOPpV WKLUG DFW 5HQ DOORZV

KHUVHOI WR EH VZDPSHG E\ D VSDUNOLQJ ZDYH LW VZDOORZV KHU

XS LQ H[WUHPH VORZ PRWLRQ $QG WKHQ LQ WKH ĺQDO VFHQH VKH

UHWXUQV WR JD]H RYHU WKH ZDWHU ĺQDOO\ DW SHDFH QRZ WKDW VKH

has reconciled the isolation and obsession of her ‘real’ life.

Mel Campbell is a Melbourne-based freelance journalist and

cultural critic, author of the bookOut of Shape: Debunking

,XSGR @ANTS %@RGHNM @MC %HS EkQL /QDRR  @MC BN

@TSGNQŭNESGDMNUDKThe Hot Guy$BGN/TAKHRGHMF

 m

Endnotes

(^1) %HQ & /XFDV TXRWHG LQ OHQ )DONHQVWHLQ o'LUHFWRU %HQ /XFDV
on theOtherLife:RUOG 3UHPLHUHpFalkenScreen  -XQH 
KWWSVIDONHQVFUHHQFRPGLUHFWRUEHQOXFDVRQ
WKHRWKHUOLIHZRUOGSUHPLHUH! DFFHVVHG  1RYHPEHU 
(^2) 1LFR /DQJ o$ 4XLFN +LVWRU\ RI WKH )LUVWSHUVRQ )LOPpConsequence
of Sound  $SULO  https://consequenceofsound.net/
DTXLFNKLVWRU\RIWKHŷUVWSHUVRQŷOP>, accessed
 1RYHPEHU 
(^3) &KULVWRSKHU &DPSEHOO o:K\ $UH 0RYLHV 6KRW )XOO\ LQ q)LUVW
SHUVRQ 329r 6XFK D %DG ,GHD"pFilm School Rejects,
 1RYHPEHU  KWWSVŷOPVFKRROUHMHFWVFRPZK\
DUHPRYLHVVKRWIXOO\LQŷUVWSHUVRQSRYVXFKDEDGLGHD
IGEF! DFFHVVHG  1RYHPEHU 
(^4) 6HH -DQH 0D\HU o=HUR &RQVFLHQFH LQZero Dark Thirty’,The
New Yorker  'HFHPEHU  KWWSVZZZQHZ\RUNHU
FRPQHZVQHZVGHVN]HURFRQVFLHQFHLQ]HURGDUNWKLUW>,
DFFHVVHG  1RYHPEHU 
 6HH $QJHOLFD -DGH %DVWLHQ oDetroit’,RogerEbert.com  -XO\
 KWWSVZZZURJHUHEHUWFRPUHYLHZVGHWURLW>,
DFFHVVHG  1RYHPEHU 
(^6) 7UDYLV -RKQVRQ o%HQ & /XFDV %UHDWKLQJ /LIH LQWROtherLife’,
FilmInk  2FWREHU  KWWSVŷOPLQNFRPDXEHQFOXFDV
EUHDWKLQJOLIHRWKHUOLIH! DFFHVVHG  1RYHPEHU 
 %HQ & /XFDV TXRWHG LQ 0DQG\ ULIŷWKV o6\GQH\ )LOP )HVWLYDO
%HQ & /XFDV tOtherLife’,Moviehole  -XQH  http://
PRYLHKROHQHWV\GQH\ŷOPIHVWLYDOEHQFOXFDV
-otherlife! DFFHVVHG  1RYHPEHU 
(^8) $OH[DQGUD +HOOHU1LFKRODV o/DERUDWRU\ ([SHULPHQWErrors of
WKH +XPDQ %RG\’,Metro QR  6XPPHU  S 
 0DUN 'DYLG 5\DQ o$ 6LOYHU %XOOHW IRU $XVWUDOLDQ &LQHPD" HQUH
Movies and the Audience Debate’,Studies in Australasian
Cinema YRO  QR   SS t
(^10) +XJK 6XOOLYDQ TXRWHG LQ 0DUN -XGGHU\ o7KH %HDFK DW WKH
(QG RI WKH :RUOG $XVVLH 6FLHQFH )LFWLRQpV 1HZ :DYHpThe
Guardian  -XO\  KWWSVZZZWKHJXDUGLDQFRPŷOP
DXVWUDOLDFXOWXUHEORJMXODXVWUDOLDQQHZVFLHQFH
ŷFWLRQŷOPV! DFFHVVHG  1RYHPEHU 
(^11) %HQ & /XFDV o:ULWHU'LUHFWRUpV 6WDWHPHQWp LQ&DUUHUD3UHVV
$JHQF\OtherLifeSUHVV NLW  S 
(^12) /XFDV TXRWHG LQ ULIŷWKV RS FLW
(^13) 6HH .DWH /HDYHU o)HDUV RI q&XOWXUDO ,VRODWLRQrpWeekend
Courier  6HSWHPEHU  KWWSVZZZFRPPXQLW\QHZV
FRPDXZHHNHQGFRXULHUQHZVIHDUVRIFXOWXUDOLVRODWLRQ>,
DFFHVVHG}1RYHPEHU