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Clip description
Louisa Correlli (Deborra-Lee Furness) runs the daily gauntlet from the gate of Blackstream Prison past the inmates in the exercise yards to her place of work in the prison’s psychology unit.
Curator’s notes
Intercutting images of razor wire, heavy steel bolts, peeling paint and watch towers atop soaring walls with longer but still brief sequences of dank interiors, crowded exercise yards and forbidding stone buildings, director Kate Woods packs more information into two minutes than could be communicated verbally in that time. This introduction to Blackstream as a state of mind as much as a physical location is further strengthened with original music by Chris Neal and snatches of conversation half-heard, imagined or remembered by Correlli as she travels through. The drug dealing, the overt sexist comments and gestures indicate that the prisoners have fairly free reign and mocks the notion of a high-security prison. There have been many real-life prison escapes distinguished by planning and particularly skilful execution, giving this opening title sequence a chilling feel.
Her familiarity with security procedures and the geography of the prison indicates that this is not Correlli’s first day at work. However, the determined calm with which she ignores the taunts of the inmates and the growing tension in her body language demonstrates equally that she is not yet comfortable in the emotionally-charged, testosterone-laden atmosphere of this place.
It’s worth watching a few times to catch the activities glimpsed in passing, like the passage of drugs between inmates, the camaraderie between Sister Pat (Sue Jones) and the men, and the graffiti that has transformed the label on the keys from ‘Psyche’ (Unit) to ‘Psycho’. Hand-held camerawork and appropriate lighting are uniformly excellent.
