Andrew McMurtryREVIEW: Romulus, My Father
December 1st 2008 13:04
Set in the 1960’s, the movie is positioned at the beginning of the social revolution, with looser values and rebellion seen as normal. This is also a time of extreme poverty for some in Australian society While the movie contains music which is soft and instrumental for the most part, Raimond (Kodi Smit-McPhee) sees his rebellion and chance to remove himself from his father in the early rock music, such as Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘Wild One’, which is a feature of this movie. Christina’s (Franka Potente) rebellion comes in the form of sleeping around with various men, including the brother of Romulus’ best friend. Romulus does not believe in the rebellious acts and sees work as his release. “You’ll be measured as a man by your work, not by the movies you see. Work, this is dignity.” This film also deals with a very prevalent issue of mental illness in rural communities, as well as in immigrants. There are several scenes of severe depressive states and various mental breakdowns. Romulus even seems to toy with the idea of taking his own life is several scenes. But by realising that he is living through a very hard time in his life and deciding not to take the easy way out, Romulus further shows how he has assimilated into Australian culture by deciding to work through this tough time.
“Romulus, My Father” is based on the memoirs of Raimond Gaita and has been adapted for screen by Richard Roxburgh and playwright Nick Drake. This means story is told through the eyes of Raimond. Despite it being a real life story adapted for screen, the story is told in present tense, rather than in a reflective way, in which many true life stories are told. By telling Romulus’ story through Raimond’s eyes as a child, it allows the characters of Romulus and Christina to progress through the innocent eyes of a child who, in the beginning, is totally devoted to his parents through to his real awareness of who his parents truly are. This is shown by the several confrontations including Raimond accusing Romulus of not loving him and viewing his mother being effectively raped in a shed. This type of story telling allows the story to remain interesting rather than becoming a tedious journey through Romulus’ hardships in Australia. This movie is shot using a predominantly static camera style, using panning to capture the action of the scene. This type of story telling, while giving a fly-on-the-wall perspective, also allows the amazing landscape of the Australian country to be shown, often through long shots in contrast with the characters. In contrast, Roxburgh effectively uses close-up and medium shots to portray expression, as this film is told by the characters through their silences. The harsh, dry landscape shown with yellowed grass and the vibrant oranges of the sunrise, and the simple, old-style city buildings, as well as weatherboard house in which Romulus and Raimond live, portray the historical landscape of Australia as a ‘sunburnt country’.
This film is based on three main characters – Romulus, Christina and Raimond. Romulus is the basis of the story. He is the provider, the tough man who loves his family and believes in the honesty and dignity of a hard days work. He reflects the historical values of an Australian character through his austere demeanour and desire to work hard to provide for his family. Living on a farm helps portray these characteristics. Romulus tries to bring, despite being an immigrated Australian, had already assimilated into the Australian cultural and lifestyle. He goes to the pub to drink, handles cigarettes elegantly, works hard for his money and cares for his family. He believes in the honour and value of a hard day’s work as he says to Raimond “You’ll be measured as a man by your work, not by the movies you see. Work, this is dignity.” Raimond is mentally tough, intelligent, friendly and loving. He loves both his mother and his father until he finds his mother with a strange man in a shed. He loses respect for her as her life begins to unravel. Christina is a promiscuous, unbalanced but seems caring and loving. Unfortunately she cannot look after her own family. This leads her into her spiral of depression.
This film is about repression of emotions, feelings and relationships from each other. They don’t seem to communicate with each other at all. This makes it incredibly hard for their relationships to be developed into a functioning family relationship. One of the great features of this film is the feeling of hope that you get. “For Luck” is all that Romulus says after he brings frozen bees back to life that had been frozen over night. The symbolism of hope for the future and the resounding message that life will go on is what makes this film so watchable and such a great movie. It is sad but also hopeful. I’d give this film 4 out of 5 and would highly recommend it.
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