Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

The Trespassers (1976)

play Coarse language – medium
clip A totally casual thing education content clip 2, 3

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Penny (Briony Behets) comes home in the middle of the day and finds her husband Richard (John Derum) with another woman, Dee (Judy Morris). Both women are surprised and humiliated. After Dee leaves, Penny and Richard argue about Richard’s lack of communication.

Curator’s notes

The film is concerned with sexual mores among the young educated elite, specifically with the question of whether the changes in attitude brought about by the 1960s went further than skin-deep. The coolness with which all three react to the situation here establishes certain parameters – none of them is very shocked, although Penny is upset by the deception. Richard looks almost happy to be found out. The rest of the film tests out these parameters, in surprising ways.