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The Secret Life of Us – Now or Never (2001)

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clip Now or never

Original classification rating: M. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Writer Evan (Samuel Johnson) types in his room. His story, heard in voice-over, describes a woman’s decision to return from 12 years of solitude in the mountains, after deciding it was 'now or never’. He is interrupted by Will (Joel Edgerton) calling him from the next room.

Curator’s notes

by Kate Matthews

The character of Evan acts as something of a Greek chorus in the series. His voice-overs are frequently used to establish an episode’s theme, as occurs here, and interject at intervals to provide reflective commentary on the action. Occasional voice-overs from Deborah Mailman’s Kelly function in a similar way (and replaced Evan entirely when Samuel Johnson left the series). Evan’s voice-over is often portrayed as an excerpt from his writing, inviting comparison with the Carrie Bradshaw character on US series Sex and the City (1998-2004), a contemporary of The Secret Life of Us that shared similar preoccupations with lifestyle, relationships and sexuality.

The theme 'now or never’, while most clearly applied to the Evan-Alex story-line and the question of whether they will get together before Evan’s departure overseas, is also used to advance the story of several other characters.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

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