Two strangers – one white, one black – steal a car in western NSW and head for the coast. Jack is abrasive, cunning and disparaging about Aborigines. Gary doesn’t really care – he just wants to escape. En route, they pick up Gary’s Uncle Joe, a French hitchhiker and a young woman who’s running away. Their petty crimes escalate as they go, heading towards disaster.
Acting
Bill Hunter's Jack is pure unfiltered colonial resentment.
Direction
Noyce's debut already knows exactly where to point the camera.
Writing
Gary Foley co-wrote; the Indigenous perspective cuts through.
Director
Phillip Noyce
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Co-writer Gary Foley was a prominent Aboriginal activist; this was his attempt to force white audiences to sit with discomfort.
Noyce shot this in 10 days with non-professional actors in actual stolen cars — the chaos is partly documentary.
AU
