Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Greetings from Wollongong (1982)

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clip No work

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

We see all the characters in a typical day – babysitting, doing house work, going to the dole office, eating fish and chips at the beach and shopping for hair dye.

Curator’s notes

This clip communicates very effectively the isolation, boredom and frustration of life in Australia when you’re young and can’t get work. There’s an overwhelming feeling of living in limbo in this sequence produced through limited dialogue and visuals that reinforce a sense of isolation and aimlessness. There seems to be no expectation of life having any purpose. The shots and editing give almost a documentary feel as though we are looking at real life.