Share
Clip description
John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) whips up a vigorous roundtable discussion amongst a group of friends in the kitchen about the need to take action against sex offenders.
Curator’s notes
This clip shows how Bunting was able to get support for his crimes by whipping up hatred, initially against paedophiles, amongst a motley group of hangers-on. Bunting emerges even in this short scene as an arch manipulator, able to cunningly exploit a sense of grievance in those around him.
Justin Kurzel directs this scene as an ensemble piece, with characters speaking on top of each other rather than waiting their turn to speak – a technique that gives a sense of natural-sounding spontaneity. The impassioned performance of Louise Harris as Elizabeth towards the end of the clip gives a good idea of why she was voted best supporting actress in the 2011 Australian Academy Awards, for her film debut.
