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Clip description
Kev (Ray Meagher) complains that his dinner is cold and won’t give Ampy (Charito Ortiz) money for her mother. His mood is not improved when she implies criticism of his daily visits to the pub after work. This is nothing, however, compared to the rage that surfaces when Kev learns that Ampy has been to the Aboriginal town camp.
Curator’s notes
While racism is perhaps the major theme in this film, it is sexism that largely underlies this particular scene. Kev clearly dominates, his language condescending ('my little pet’) and controlling ('no wife of mine’s gunna…’). The imbalance in their relationship is subtly emphasised by the framing of the shot, with Kev filling most of the screen.
Ampy could be any white Australian woman trapped by circumstance into financial and emotional reliance on her husband and caught between compassion for the outcasts of society and the need to conform. We would like to think that an Australian woman would stand up to such bullying but our social history gives us many examples to the contrary. Despite showing moments of affection and warmth, Kev is capable of erupting uncontrollably whenever he feels threatened and belittled – sadly typical of situations of violence against women, whatever their racial background.
An interesting point to consider is how these claustrophobic caravan interiors would have been shot. Note that the camera is always on the entrance side of the caravan, giving the illusion that it is not a set but the real thing. If that were so, a crew of at least three would have had to somehow squeeze themselves into the tiny space and still maintain a distance from the actors, which is most unlikely.
