Insight
Dennis O'Roukes "Cunnamulla" is a unique look at some of the rich characters that inhabit the township of
Cunnamulla, at the end of the railway line and 800km west of Brisbane in outback australia. O'Rouke pulls
no punches nor do the characters as they all set out to reveals the nuts and bolts that make up this dynamic
little film. The opening scenes reveal the richness of the characters as we meet Neredah and her husband Arthur.
Arthur is the local cabbie who plies the streets of the town and is an "all seeing eye". Neredah is a great source
of information [aka gossip] regarding every aspect of the town and its inhabitants. Then there are two young girls,
Cara & Kellie-Anne. Both are in their early teens, have dropped out of high school and just want to escape to Brisbane.
They don't mind having sex with the local boys as long as they ask nicely and don't get them pregnant. They might be
just little teenage girls but in Cunnamulla they grow up quick but it's not hard to imagine them making it to the big city
if only to end up pregnant or working in a massage parlour. Then their is Marto. He's a piercing freak who wants to start
a band, is the local radio stations rock jock, has a girlfriend Pauline [who is a real dope], he likes the drugs and pisses
his father and Paulines parents off. On the other side of the coin, if the whites in Cunnamulla don't come over too good,
the portrayal of the coloured population isn't much better. Paul is a young man with nothing better to do than fight, do
breakins, get drunk and when he's got nothing better to do there are always women to chase. The rest of the black population
appear as no-hopers, welfare bludgers and drunks. From Ringer, who doubles as the towns undertaker and dog catcher [coldly he
dispenses strays with a quick bullet to the head] to Herb, the outspoken local scrap metal merchant, this is a enthralling
journey. Most probably not for everybody but probably an opportunity for each and every one of us to see and enjoy just how some
of the other half live and most of all survive in the outback townships.
The Verdict
A unique, brazen, warts and all expose` of colorful characters from the australian outback... RATED MA15+
Directed by Dennis O'Rouke
©2001 - Film Aust & Camerawork Ltd - All Rights Reserved
