Blackrock (film)
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| Blackrock | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Steven Vidler |
| Produced by | David Elfick Rick Enright Melanie Ritchie |
| Written by | Nick Enright |
| Starring | Laurence Breuls Linda Cropper |
| Music by | Steve Kilbey |
| Cinematography | Martin McGrath |
| Release date(s) |  May 1, 1997 |
| Running time | 90 / 103 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Blackrock is a 1997 Australian exploitation film directed by Steven Vidler and written by Nick Enright. Internationally, it is best remembered as the debut film for actor Heath Ledger.
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[edit] Origin
Blackrock had its origin in 1992 as A Property of the Clan, a theatre-in-education piece written by Australian playwright Nick Enright (1950-2003). It was inspired by the real-life rape and murder of schoolgirl Leigh Leigh in Stockton near Newcastle, Australia on November 3, 1989. Enright subsequently developed it into another play, Blackrock (1995), directed by David Berthold for Sydney Theatre Company, as well as a movie, also called Blackrock (1997). The movie was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States before being in small independent theaters in Australia, as well as at local drive-in theaters in Australia, and later released to VHS and DVD.
[edit] Synopsis
Blackrock was set in a fictional Australian beachside working-class suburb called Blackrock (not to be confused with the Melbourne suburb of Black Rock), where surfing was popular among youths like Jared. He had his first serious girlfriend, Rachel, who came from a much wealthier part of the city. One day Ricko, the local surfing legend (Simon Lyndon), came back after an eleven-month odyssey, and Jared gave him a 'welcome home' party at the local surf club. Unsupervised and with alcohol freely available, tragedy soon arrived - Jared witnessed a girl called Tracy (Bojana Novakovic) being raped by four youths, including Rachel's brother Toby (Heath Ledger), and did nothing to stop the attacks. In the days that follow, Jared learns that Tracy was beaten to death by his friend Ricko.
The incident - and the community - would soon be scrutinized by news bulletins across the nation. The locals reacted differently: The surfers continued their lives as if nothing had happened; Tracy's grieving best friend Cherie (Rebecca Smart) resorted to violent behaviours; Rachel had to face the news that her brother Toby was one of the accused. Jared was torn between the need to reveal what he saw for the sake of justice, and the desire to protect Ricko, Toby and the other rapists in the name of 'mateship'. His silence eventually led to the breakdown of his relationships, not only with Rachel, but also with his mother Diane, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
[edit] Controversies
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Blackrock had attracted considerable controversies when it was screened in 1997, partly because of its fictionalization of a real-life rape and murder without the consent of the victim's family. Many locals from the town where the actual murder occurred were also hostile to the film, believing it to have portrayed the community in a slanderous way. Nevertheless, Blackrock did make an important statement about the Australian 'coastie' culture, particularly regarding the uglier side of masculinity.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Australian Film Institute Awards
- Best Achievement in Cinematography - Martin McGrath (Nominated)
- Best Film - David Elfick (Nominated)
- Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Simon Lyndon (Nominated)
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Rebecca Smart (Nominated)
- Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Source - Nick Enright (Nominated)
- Australian Writer's Guild
- Feature Film - Adaptation (Nick Enright) Won
[edit] External links
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