Jamie Carr is a young man growing up in Bundaberg, Northern Queensland during the closing years of World War I. Jamie, who is in his final year of high school, was brought up by his grandmother. Grandma Carr is known and loved by all in the town, and does her best to help Jamie through the emotional turmoil of adolescence and a society struggling under old traditions and beliefs in a new country.
Acting
Geraldine Fitzgerald steals every scene without breaking a sweat
Cinematography
Queensland never looked this golden and vaguely menacing
Costume
WWI-era Australian fashion that screams 'we're not British, actually'
Director
Kevin James Dobson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Ronald McKie's semi-autobiographical novel, the film captures a specific moment when Queensland was still defining itself against both British colonial identity and emerging Australian nationalism.
Robert Helpmann—yes, THAT Robert Helpmann from The Red Shoes—took the role of the Professor partly because he wanted to work in Australia again; his ballet background subtly informs every gesture.
AU
