Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows a night scene in which Tracy (Cate Blanchett) and boyfriend Jonny (Dustin Nguyen) crouch over the body of Lionel (Hugo Weaving). Steve, the dealer (Joel Tobeck), appears and punches Tracy’s brother Ray (Martin Henderson) to the ground, telling them to get the money from the car. Tracy refuses and when Jonny locks the car, Steve draws a gun. Undeterred, Tracy threatens that they will go to the police if Steve takes the money, but if he doesn’t take it, he won’t hear from them again. Anxiously they take the body, get into the car and leave. A low, sustained undercurrent of music supports the rising tension of the clip.

Educational value points

• This climactic scene from Little Fish has all the elements of the crime genre, but unlike many crime films the scene is concluded not by violent action but by non-violent character interaction. At the heart of this scene is the revelation of Tracy’s increased strength and determination as she appeals to the dangerous and desperate dealer ‘to just think’. Unlike many crime films the female character controls the action and determines the outcome.

• Stark lighting and the use of hand-held cameras help to imbue this scene with a heightened sense of reality. The use of flare lenses and stark lighting results in strong contrasts between dark areas and very bright ones, such as when a light flares directly into the camera over the shoulder of one of the characters. These techniques, along with the jerky nature of the filming, create a sense of authenticity.

• The soundtrack helps to maintain the tension in this scene. There are long pauses within the dialogue as both parties assess the situation and Tracy, Jonny and Ray watch Steve with growing concern. A portentous drone-like music score, the sounds of breathing and the background sounds of night insects all merge into an atmospheric background to the sparse exchanges and mounting tension.

• Cate Blanchett’s fine acting skills are demonstrated in this scene from Little Fish, for which she won an AFI Award for Best Lead Actress. Cate Blanchett, a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), has starred in many films, including Elizabeth (1998), Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003) and Babel (2006) and, with her husband Andrew Upton, will commence the artistic co-directorship of the Sydney Theatre Company in 2008.

• Scriptwriter Jacqueline Perske was nominated for an AFI award for the screenplay of Little Fish, which benefited from inclusion in the inaugural, and now acclaimed, Aurora script program (NSW Film and Television Office). Perske interviewed people involved in the heroin trade to ensure authenticity in characterisation. She won AFI awards in 2005 and 2006 for the television drama series Love My Way.

• As seen in this clip, director Rowan Woods’s work is characterised by immediacy and focuses on developing tension between actors and authenticity through close, calculated camerawork. Woods’s first film The Boys (1998) won four AFI awards and Little Fish won five. Both films deal with a gritty reality and stress the daily grind of suburban life for people on low incomes, and both explore intimate relationships, violence and crime.

It is night time. Crickets are buzzing, and there is drone-like eerie music. Steven stands in the distance.
Tracy What’s happening?
Ray approaches Steven.
Ray I don’t know what’s going on, Steven. I swear to fucking God I don’t know what’s going on.
Steve Hey buddy, partner …
Steve punches Ray.
Jonny Hey!
Ray Hey Jonny, I’m alright, I’m alright.
Steve (to Ray) Fuckin’ moron. (to Jonny and Tracy) You two go and get the money out of the car. Go on!
Tracy No … you can’t have that money.
Ray Trace … shh …
Steve What?
Jonny We know what you’ve done?
Steve What have I done? There’s an old man dead, and his boyfriend’s OD’ed. What have I done? Get the fuckin’ money.
Tracy No … no it’s not your money. And we’re just going to go, alright? We’re just going to take Lionel, OK? Jonny?
Steve Get the money Ray.
Ray Get fucked.
Jonny unlocks the car and Steve pulls a gun
Ray Oh, no, no, no.
Tracy No, no, no, no, no, just think, think.
Steve I need that money …
Tracy If you take our money, we’re going to go to the police.
Ray Come on, you’re married aren’t you?
Steve I need that money.
Tracy What are you going to do? You gonna kill us? I mean, you’d have to kill all of us. Otherwise you’ve fucked your life. It’s gone … your life. We’re just gonna go. We’re gonna take him, and you’ll never hear from us again. Right … (lifts Lionel’s body). We’re no… we’re no-one alright, we’re nobody.
They pile into the car. Steve watches as they drive away.