While Kennedy Miller TV was super collaborative, the features division was more auteur driven. This came from John Duigan, who had just made Vietnam.
Some of this is just so spot on, achingly so - the pack of kids throwing Leone Carmen into the water, Ben Mendhelson almost drowning Carmen, the boorish bullies (including a young Rob Carleton) who read out Taylor's poetry and thump him at school, Harold Hopkins giving a speech to the football team as they eat oranges at half time, the blokes always at the pub heckling away.
Few films captured unrequited love as well - helped immeasurably by the casting. Noah Taylor is insecure, small, rat faced (sorry but it is), tiny... it's clear why he's besotted with Leone Carmen, blonde and gorgeous, and why she's keen on Ben Mendelsohn, the swaggering cocky guy with the ridiculous laugh. All three are very Australian, familiar types.
Some of it is of its time - Taylor looking at Carmen's panties for instance. The one clunky scene was when Taylor walked past his parnts room and heard them arguing about Carmen's mother.
I remember not liking this when I saw it as a teenager. Then I saw it again in my late twenties and thought it was the best movie ever. Years later it impresses but I don't have the same emotional reaction. I recognise this is all personal.
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