PARKLANDS (PG)
Director: Kathyrn Millard
Stars: Cate Blanhett, Tony Martin
Running Time: 53 minutes.
Greg Kings talks with Australian producer Helen Bowden
Following the death of her policeman father, Rosie (Cate Blanchett, from the ABC series Heartland, etc) returns home to the
suburbs of Adelaide. She comes across some old diaries her father kept, which hint at corruption within the force. Rosie is
never quite sure how deeply her father was involved, and the more she learns about him the more uncertain she becomes
about how she should remember him. This issue of unresolved conflict between children and their dead parents and how it
colours their current memories was also a strong subtext of John Sayles' Lone Star, but writer/director Kathryn Millard's
elusive and elliptical and fragmented narrative structure inevitably raises more questions than it answers.
The concept of the park lands derives from the strategic development of parks in new housing estates to act as a buffer zone
between residences and places of work. But in this film, there is a more metaphorical aspect as well, as Millard explores issues
such as the separation between public and private lives, between families, and between past and present. In some ways the
film also explores a loss of innocence, as Rosie's memories of her father are contrasted with glimpses of how her own
hometown has also dramatically changed over the years.
Tony Martin (AFI award winner for the impressive Blue Murder) plays Cliff, Rosie's father, and although his character only
appears in flashback sequences or photographs, his presence resonates throughout the film, while Blanchett's strong
performance is the emotional glue that holds the flimsy premise together.
The film's central narrative also has deeply personal resonance for Millard, who also seems to be trying to come to terms with
her own emotional ghosts from the past. Parklands is thematically rich, and Millard crams a lot of complex ideas in to a short
space of time. This visually stylish film contains some strong ideas and images, but its commercial appeal is limited, and, with a
running time of just under an hour, it has obviously been made with television audiences in mind more than a cinematic release.
During its season at the George, Parklands is supported by two other Australian short films, that exemplify the divergence of
styles and rich subject matter explored by local film makers. The first film on this program of exciting contemporary short films
is Richard Frankland's AFI award winning No Way To Forget, a powerfully personal look at the issue of aboriginal deaths in
custody. This is followed by Christina Andreef's highly acclaimed visually stylish Shooting The Breeze, which explores how the
aftermath of violence can also affect innocent bystanders.