AUSTRALIA RULES? MAYBE NOT.
Mykayla Bennett discusses the strong parallels between the film “Australian Rules” and contemporary Australian society.
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acism. Sexism. Domestic violence. Yes, those are themes from the 2002 film “Australian Rules”, but they are also issues within Australia’s modern and self-perceived multicultural and equitable nation.
The film “Australian Rules” (directed by Paul Goodman) is an astonishingly truthful portrayal of Australian identity. Through Goodman’s use of cinematography, mis-en-scene, lighting sound and structure, “Australian Rules” portrays themes of racism, gender representations, and family dynamics and domestic violence.
In the South Australian town of Prospect Bay, the whites and the blacks are separated …show more content…
The “Blacks” and “Whites” are separated by poisonous prejudice. One example of this is when they were at Dumby’s funeral, as Gary was the only Caucasian individual there. This emphasises the divide in the community. Another example was at the bar where the two races were separated by a brick wall in the middle of the pub. The “White” side is much cleaner and nicely furnished, whilst the “Black” side is more simple and grimy. Every aspect of life is segregated except for on the football field. Mise-en-scene is used with the club colours of the AFL team, which are also black and white. This symbolises the races in the team, and that they are both equally valued on the team.
EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE IS SEGREGATED EXCEPT FOR ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
The racist attitudes in “Australian Rules” parallel real life. According to “All Together Now, Erasing Racism”, one in five Australians have been racially abused, with the majority of abuse being verbal (All Together Now, 2015).
Although racism is a large problem in today’s society, not everyone believes it to be. According to a survey in 2008, 12.4% of Australians said they were prejudiced against other cultures. (Treatyrepublic.net, 2015). This shows that not everybody in Australia is racist as the movie “Australian Rules” …show more content…
GENDER AND FAMILY DYNAMICS
Another theme shown in “Australian Rules” is family dynamics and the portrayal of gender. Women do not have positions of power in the film, and they are mainly used or portrayed as objects. An example of this is the Black’s family dynamics. Liz is more passive and allows Bob to control her and her family. It is an unhealthy relationship because Liz has no authority or power.
Much like in the domestic sphere, in the public sphere, women are also under represented as CEOs or directors and executives (positions of power). According to a 2012 census, out of 500 directors surveyed, 9.2% of them were women (Australian Government Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, 2012). This is a gross underrepresentation of women in positions of power, which may be a reason that Australia is a male-dominated society.
Others may argue that Australia is an equitable society. Women are able to have jobs, compete in the Olympics and vote, which were things that were not being able to be achieved only a short time
Mykayla Bennett discusses the strong parallels between the film “Australian Rules” and contemporary Australian society.
R
acism. Sexism. Domestic violence. Yes, those are themes from the 2002 film “Australian Rules”, but they are also issues within Australia’s modern and self-perceived multicultural and equitable nation.
The film “Australian Rules” (directed by Paul Goodman) is an astonishingly truthful portrayal of Australian identity. Through Goodman’s use of cinematography, mis-en-scene, lighting sound and structure, “Australian Rules” portrays themes of racism, gender representations, and family dynamics and domestic violence.
In the South Australian town of Prospect Bay, the whites and the blacks are separated …show more content…
The “Blacks” and “Whites” are separated by poisonous prejudice. One example of this is when they were at Dumby’s funeral, as Gary was the only Caucasian individual there. This emphasises the divide in the community. Another example was at the bar where the two races were separated by a brick wall in the middle of the pub. The “White” side is much cleaner and nicely furnished, whilst the “Black” side is more simple and grimy. Every aspect of life is segregated except for on the football field. Mise-en-scene is used with the club colours of the AFL team, which are also black and white. This symbolises the races in the team, and that they are both equally valued on the team.
EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE IS SEGREGATED EXCEPT FOR ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
The racist attitudes in “Australian Rules” parallel real life. According to “All Together Now, Erasing Racism”, one in five Australians have been racially abused, with the majority of abuse being verbal (All Together Now, 2015).
Although racism is a large problem in today’s society, not everyone believes it to be. According to a survey in 2008, 12.4% of Australians said they were prejudiced against other cultures. (Treatyrepublic.net, 2015). This shows that not everybody in Australia is racist as the movie “Australian Rules” …show more content…
GENDER AND FAMILY DYNAMICS
Another theme shown in “Australian Rules” is family dynamics and the portrayal of gender. Women do not have positions of power in the film, and they are mainly used or portrayed as objects. An example of this is the Black’s family dynamics. Liz is more passive and allows Bob to control her and her family. It is an unhealthy relationship because Liz has no authority or power.
Much like in the domestic sphere, in the public sphere, women are also under represented as CEOs or directors and executives (positions of power). According to a 2012 census, out of 500 directors surveyed, 9.2% of them were women (Australian Government Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, 2012). This is a gross underrepresentation of women in positions of power, which may be a reason that Australia is a male-dominated society.
Others may argue that Australia is an equitable society. Women are able to have jobs, compete in the Olympics and vote, which were things that were not being able to be achieved only a short time