film review: galore

Teenagers can be bizarre creatures. They spend a lot of time operating in states of supreme self-absorption, almost casually inflicting considerable mental and physical pain on those they claim to love. And yet occasionally they come out with acts of pure bravery or selflessness. All of these capabilities and more are on display in Australia’s latest contribution to the film world.

Galore is an Australian film that follows the lives of four teenagers over the course of one week in Canberra, during the now legendary 2003 bushfires. Billie (played by Ashleigh Cummings) is a 17-year-old girl meandering through her summer holidays. It’s a magical time of no responsibilities and seemingly endless possibilities. There is nothing to do but spend the time with her best friend Laura (Lily Sullivan) and Danny (Toby Wallace), Laura’s boyfriend — whom Billie happens to be secretly and wildly in love with. The arrival of Isaac (Aliki Matangi), a kid down on his luck taken in by Billie’s social worker mum, further complicates the lives of these teenagers. First love, sex, death and the uncertainty of being a teenager are all central themes of this film, explored with a kind of claustrophobic intensity.

I couldn’t work out whether I empathised with Billie, the main character, or was thoroughly aggravated by her. The decisions she made were completely at odds with who she claimed to be – the best friend to a girl who she had known all her life. Part of being a teenager is being too young to have any other experiences to give yourself objectivity and perspective – for example, don’t have sex with your best friend’s boyfriend, no matter how much you want to, as you will most certainly regret it. And yet most of the decisions Billie made throughout the film really frustrated me as they placed they people she loved in mental and or physical jeopardy. I suppose that is the paradox of being a teenager – being capable of amazing kindness and cruelty, often simultaneously. Additionally, the diction of the actors is not great – I had a hard time making out what the characters were saying. Mumbling is definitely an authentic characteristic of being a teenager but sacrificing that little realism might have made for a more coherent plot.

The film is set against the backdrop of the bushfires, which provide a stark contrast to the central themes of the film. The one thought that stayed with me throughout the film was how these four characters were so intensely involved in each other that they failed to notice the very real force of nature about to engulf their lives almost entirely. Canberra is a weird landscape, where the sprawling suburbia nestles in amongst bushland, which should make the threat of bushfire a constant companion.

As a local Canberran (who was 17 when the 2003 bushfires were rampaging across town) I thoroughly enjoyed watching a film where I recognised all the landmarks and characteristics unique to Canberra. The sheer novelty of this cannot be under-stated and is possibly something people from the US take for granted. Even watching a scene filmed on an Action bus (Canberra’s notoriously irritating public transport – only used once during the film) excited me a little. Part of the charm of Canberra is that you can drive for ten minutes and find yourself on a mountain or in bushland and this film captures that beautifully. And yes, it was great to be able to lean over to my companion in the cinema and say ‘ooh, is that the police station in Woden? Cool!’

This film has been very divisive and I can completely understand why. However, and without giving away any major plot points, Billie comes good in the end proving that teenagers are not just mobile sacks of hormones out to seek pleasure at any costs. They just haven’t quite figured themselves out yet.

Which is fair enough.