If, as Paul Keating once said, Australia is the “arse-end of the world”, its sphincter would be Coolgardie.
It’s a mining town just west of Kalgoorlie, WA and the middle of nowhere. The local pub, the Hotel Denver, is the hellhole young Finnish backpackers, Stephanie and Lina, find themselves in. They’ve agreed to be the new barmaids for three months. Grab a beer and sit back, if you dare to… this is documentary.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for lambs going to a slaughterhouse. Their arrival is announced on the chalkboards and the blokes are frothing so much, they need condoms on their heads. Believe me, it would do them more good than harm.
Their initiation is cruel. The boss swears and berates them during work, while having a beer; the previous bar girls, rowdy British lasses, dance on the bar tops and the guys are desperate and lewd; the local old girls are even worse than the blokes. There is a nice old couple who pull out an old picture album which featured naked barmaids. And they’re the nicer locals.
There are a few insightful moments. Kangaroo Bob hasn’t seen his daughter for six years. His ex-wife won’t let him ” Because she’s a bitch.” (Insert facepalm emoji). And Pikey admits he can’t talk to girls. But he also staggers into their unit, passes out and his attempts to seduce Lina are appalling. It seems these towns attract outcasts.
Their masculinity may be ‘fragile’ and ‘disintegrating’, but it’s no excuse for being dickheads. I wondered what would have happened if the cameras weren’t there, as the girls stand their ground. Only Canman is likeable, who makes a living recycling cans. He lives in his car with his dogs, which reeks so bad it makes Steph throw up.
There is no redeemable twist in this vision of outback Australia. It’s ugly. The locals hated it, but dirty mirrors do that to you. These are Australia’s deplorables and watching them was painful.
Lina says “All these trucks go through and nobody stops here… All the people here are sad.” They are and so is anyone who stops here. It reminded me a lot of Wake in Fright, but that was a film that had style and had something to say. This is a documentary which doesn’t.
Con’s Score: 1 warm VB
Con Nats Theatre Now & On The Town
