Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Titles tagged with ‘dysfunctional families’

23 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year

1970s

Shirley Thompson versus the Aliens feature film – 1972

Maverick filmmaker Jim Sharman’s first film is unique – an engaging potpourri of sci-fi, rock’n'roll, anarchic comedy and psychological drama.

Just Out of Reach short feature – 1979

Brilliantly acted and shot, Just Out of Reach sits comfortably alongside other films produced during this rich and creative period of the Australian film industry.

1980s

A Hard God television program – 1980

A Hard God, based on the play of the same name, is the story of a working-class Irish-Australian Catholic family in Sydney in the 1940s.

Harlequin feature film – 1980

Smoothly directed in widescreen, Harlequin is one of the more polished Australian films of its day and a notch above the ordinary genre film.

An Exercise in Discipline: Peel short film – 1982

In Jane Campion’s Palme d’Or winning student short, a bickering red-headed family on a weekend road trip reach a standoff by the side of a country road.

Next of Kin feature film – 1982

On her mother’s death, Linda Stevens inherits an isolated retirement home. Strange events occur, leading Linda to believe an evil force dwells in the house.

A Girl’s Own Story short film – 1983

In this short film by Jane Campion about changes afoot in 1960s society, teenage girls get in trouble for acting out Beatles concerts in the playground.

Fran feature film – 1985

A vivacious young mother is married to a violent man. Her desperate need for love leads her to some tragically inappropriate choices.

Edens Lost television program – 1988

A beautiful woman’s obsession with one man damages the lives of all around her.

Sweetie feature film – 1989

Ambiguity is filmmaker Jane Campion’s preferred method in Sweetie, and it works superbly as a destabilised narrative because of it.

1990s

Love Serenade feature film – 1996

The director’s light touch and the performances allows Love Serenade to get away with an outrageous joke involving a big fish.

The Quiet Room feature film – 1996

Why does a seven-year-old girl refuse to speak? Increasingly vicious arguments between the parents are not the whole story.

The Sound of One Hand Clapping feature film – 1997

Sonja Buloh returns to Hobart 20 years after leaving her violent father, Bojan. Their reunion ignites painful memories of shattered family life.

Holy Smoke feature film – 1999

Ruth Barron falls under the spell of a guru while visiting India. Her desperate family hires cult deprogrammer PJ Waters to confront Ruth.

Soft Fruit feature film – 1999

This comedy, drenched in grief and family conflict, would be a tragedy if it were not so funny and affectionate.

2000s

Chequerboard Revisited – Episode 3: I Reckon I’m an Average Australian television program – 2000

Kevin and Margaret, filmed three times over a 30-year period, show how attitudes towards marriage have changed in Australia between the 1960s and 2000.

The Goddess of 1967 feature film – 2000

The Goddess of 1967 is a love story that’s made more powerful by its ambiguity and its lack of conventional storytelling.

Love My Way – What’s in a Name television program – 2004

The understatement accompanying several key dramatic scenes stands out; they are treated with a wry humour that doesn’t lose sight of the emotion involved for the characters.

Modern Love feature film – 2006

Like Wake in Fright, Modern Love plays upon the threatening nature of the Australian outback as an ordinary man undergoes an extraordinary personality change.

Suburban Mayhem feature film – 2006

Katrina, played astonishingly well by Emily Barclay, controls every man in her small kingdom with an overpowering sexuality.

Last Ride feature film – 2009

On the run in rural South Australia, a former convict and his 10-year-old son get to know each other for the first and last time.

2010s

Animal Kingdom feature film – 2010

A nervous 17-year-old boy struggles to survive his scary new criminal family after the death of his mother.

Toomelah feature film – 2011

A hard-hitting film about the impact of poverty, drugs and alcohol on the life of a young boy living in an Aboriginal community.