Con’s Score: 3.5 Paperbacks
It’s a week parents have come to hate, and it appears teachers do too. Especially, unpublished English teachers who have their mediocrity reflected back at them. Nick Cutler (Alan Dukes) is one of those embittered old teachers who has left a mark on his students, by being such a bastard towards them.
He’s one of those unlovable rogues. He makes promises without realising or following any of them up. His brother-in-law needs a kidney transplant and Nick can’t turn up to even give him some blood. His stands up his lover, who wants to him to meet her parents but that’s not as bad as standing up some kids at a hospital. He’s not concerned at having to change his novel from zombies to vampires – because that’s what’s trending. He goes out drinking to celebrate his new book deal, and picks up Sarah (Arlie Dodds) but even that is fraught as she’s the new teacher. He just wants out of Little Fields High, where students like Melanie (Rose Riley) want his approval for her manuscript, despite loathing him. All he has to do is avoid controversy.
Writer-director and producer Heath Davis shows what it takes to get a movie made in Australia. A lot of plot, lots of characters and roles for every unemployed Australian actor. Congrats to Screen Australia for funding a film without a token overseas actor or period costume in it (apart from the Book Week costumes).
Davis has managed to attract an excellent cast of local talent, and treated each character as a character. There are cameos from actors such as Rhys Muldoon (his agent), Pippa Grandison (sister), Tiriel Mora (Headmaster), Nicholas Hope (his father), Toby Schmitz (publisher agent) and Steve Le Marquand (brother). Even lesser known actors (Matilda Ridgeway and Joelene Anderson) take their small roles and treat them as characters, not acting auditions.
It all hangs off Alan Duke and his hang dog portrayal of Nick. He pulls it off nicely. He takes the cynicism and makes it simmer instead of boil. He’s given up and is reaching out to stay afloat and is somehow quite likeable. It might due to the paybacks he keeps getting, but Duke avoids over-acting. He is well supported by Dodds and Miss Stevens (Susan Prior) who see enough in him.
This film talks to middle-aged men going through yet another crisis, so it appealed to me. Plus the fact it was Australian and avoided all the traps of funding and tick-a-box applications. It’s darkly funny and good fun and can’t avoid a pleasant ending but it’s still a satisfying and enjoyable experience, with a dash of bitterness.
Con Nats – Theatre Now
