Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Ange and Annie in Annie’s Melbourne apartment as they discuss their developing relationship. Separate interviews show Annie explaining why she is involved in an 'open relationship’ with Ange and Ange describing how the open relationship made him feel he was in 'limbo’. The couple are then shown discussing their relationship. Ange makes it clear that he is no longer happy to 'share’ her and Annie ends the clip by saying 'we take it from here, I guess’.

Educational value points

• In the clip Annie and Ange discuss their experience of, and ultimate dissatisfaction with, their trial open relationship. An 'open relationship’ refers to a relationship in which partners agree not to be monogamous.

• The reunion scene in the clip shows the importance of body language as a tool of communication. As the couple in the clip discuss their relationship they sit turned towards each other and mirror each other with hands almost touching. Their body language reflects the sentiments in their verbal communication.

• The clip reflects some commonly held gender stereotypes. Ange is depicted as being afraid of commitment and Annie is shown as being willing to make sacrifices and wait for him to make up his mind. During the reunion scene, Annie asks questions and tries to analyse what has happened. Ange is less able to express his feelings and finally tells her that she 'talks too much’, physically drawing the conversation to a close by kissing and embracing her.

• By filming Annie and Ange in close-up, with few edits or other contending elements such as music or cut-aways, the focus of the scene is directed on the two subjects and their relationship. The closeness of the camera work and the home-movie style of filming promote involvement and empathy with the participants in the clip.

• The clip is taken from the series Singles Club (2007), which documented the lives of five people as they attempted to meet partners using a variety of media, including the Internet, speed dating, newspaper 'lonely hearts’ columns and other matchmaking services. The subjects were filmed for 18 months with some of them finding love by the end of the series. The documentary consisted of five episodes.

• Singles Club was written by Luigi Acquisto and directed and produced by Acquisto and Stella Zammataro. Husband and wife team Acquisto and Zammataro established Abracadabra Films in 1997. Abracadabra Films has produced a variety of documentaries including Once Were Monks (2000), East Timor – Birth of a Nation (2002), which was nominated for five Australian Film Industry awards, and Trafficked (2005).

Ange and Annie talk about their relationship.
Annie I told him to come over because we wanted to sort of, well he wanted to work things out a little bit I guess because for some time there for about two weeks we decided to head into an open relationship only because he, um, couldn’t see himself being with me for some reason that I couldn’t quite understand, given that we’d hit it off for about, you know, two months beforehand and now. So, we decided to get into an open relationship, well, I actually called the shot and said 'why don’t we?’ and that way I can have my fun and he can have his fun and you know, he can – obviously there was a problem with commitment so really he’s not committing to – he’s committing to me but then can sort of go out and do what he does really.
Ange And so that went on, you know, for a couple of weeks I guess and, you know, I was seeing other people and, I just wasn’t happy. It was just a void. It was still like being, sort of like being in limbo, sort of, wasn’t either or, you know and, um, one day I’d just had enough of it, and it wasn’t like a big revelation or anything. I just thought well, it’s just not, I’m not happy, I’d rather. I wanna just be with her.

Ange and Annie are talking on the couch.
Annie So what do you want. What is it that you want?
Ange I don’t know. I just don’t want to share you anymore.
Annie No?
Ange No.
Annie OK.
Ange So that’s, you know. I mean, like, are you cool with that?
Annie Yeah, I think I’m cool with that. I just want to know that that’s what you really, really want.
Ange Yeah, I have thought about it.
Annie Cause you’ve just turned. You were once this … crazy psycho. who didn’t want a bar of me.
Ange There was a whole process.
Annie It was a process?
Ange Yeah, it was. It’s not like out of the blue I just flipped…
Annie So, there’s a process that happens? You meet someone, and then you have a break with them, and then you get back together with them. That’s a process?
Ange No, no. It’s not a general, it’s not generally how it happens.
Annie I’m, I’m. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy, I’m happy, but it’s just. It’s different to see you like this as compared to maybe what you were, um, about three days ago. We know what’s happening now, we’ll just take it easy and …
They kiss.
Ange Oh, shut up, you talk too much.
Annie I don’t talk too much.
Ange Shut up, you talk too much.
They embrace.
Annie He’s decided he doesn’t want to share me anymore, which is great. And I’m really happy about that, cause that’s essentially what I wanted and, um, so we take it from here, I guess.