Australian writer/director Ivan Sen’s Goldstone (2016) revolves
around indigenous detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), who earlier busted a drug
network, putrefying the aboriginal community, in the mystery/thriller Mystery
Road (2013). Jay Swan is a character brimming with existential angst. He is
not trusted by the white law officials and always seen with a little suspicion
by impoverished Aborigines. Like many men in the indigenous community, Jay’s
father too succumbed to alcoholism and lost his life. In the sequel Goldstone,
the void has only deepened as the protagonist detective stays in inebriated
state after the loss of his teenage daughter. When we first see Jay he is
rolling into an isolated mining outpost town (the one in the title) in his old
truck and stopped by a local policeman Josh Waters (Alex Russell). Josh thinks
of Jay as just another drunk wanderer of Aborigine community and places him on
a lockup to dry out. He looks into the drunken guy’s bag to discover the
detective medal. Josh reports this to pie-baking motherly mayor Maureen (a
brilliant Jackie Weaver). Although Jay looks lost there is a purpose for his
visit to this parched mining town: to track down the whereabouts of a missing,
young Chinese girl who was last seen in the town’s outskirts.
Ivan Sen opens Goldstone with old pictures of
multi-cultural workers and their rich white masters, taken during the 1800’s
Gold rush in Southern New South Wales. At least 7000 Chinese were believed to
have worked in the NSW gold fields. The old pictures speak of the socioeconomic
oppression and shows how little have changed in these areas. The gallery
exhibition in the opening credits ends up with the photo of young Chinese girls
– may be prostitutes brought in to serve the workers. The ruthless Caucasian
master of yesteryear is replaced by a mining company and a gentlemanly manager
Johnny (David Wenham). Jay receives the same kind of treatment Spencer Tracy’s
character received in “Bad Day at Black Rock” (1955). As a stranger in town, he
is offered tea and pies, but gently warned off to not stir up the hornet’s
nest. Jay, who is not so desirous to hold onto his life, knows that all the
roads lead to ‘Furnace Creek’ mining company (literally and symbolically). So
he starts off his investigation there by trespassing into the company’s
property, and in return he faces crew of heavies, equipped with
state-of-the-art assault rifles.
It is customary for Johnny to offer bribery to fend off
opposition for his plans of development. The company has called up for an
expansion, which may lead to the eviction of indigenous people. And, to expand
they need the consent of ‘black fellas’. That’s no problem since the local
chairman of the land council Tommy (Tommy Lewis) is on the take. The rest of
the small Aborigine community is wasted on grog (rum cut with water) or on
drugs. Wise, senior figures of the community like Jimmy (David Gulpill) is left
on their own. The teen Aborigines are so depressed to choose suicide as the
only way out. To say in few
words, the Aborigines are still caught up in the whirlpool of Australia’s
colonial past. A visit to this impoverished community makes Jay to learn some truth
about his past. He easily pieces out the debauched connection between the
powerful people, but the vital piece of the puzzle are the beautiful pan-Asian
girls, who are flown in (without consent) to service the mine workers (to pay
off their burgeoning debt). Young white Australian Josh is a morally grey
character whose stern stance may benefit Jay’s mission.
Director Ivan Sen says that he wants to pass on his socially conscious themes in an ‘artistic but digestible way’. He started off his career
with neo-realist tales and documentaries (“Beneath Clouds”, “Toomelah”) and
made the transformation to script gritty tale Mystery Road, which in terms of
structure resembles film-noir genre. The simple set-up of the location reminds
us of old westerns: a town with one policeman; a one-man pub, gang of hoods,
etc. Sen continues his cutting critique on Australian society by referencing
the themes like teen Aborigine suicide, chronic alcoholism, etc. Dangerous wild
dogs are once again mentioned (as it was in Mystery Road) although we don’t
see the creatures or its spoils. The wild dogs, I think, represent some kind of
metaphysical menace confronted by Jay. The script adds more metaphorical weight when
Jimmy, the spiritual guide, takes Jay through Aborigine lands (to see ancient
cave paintings) to suggest about whom the land is going to evict. After
considering the complaints of confusion regarding Mystery Road’s story-line
(especially the ending), Sen might have chosen a pretty clear plot and
characterizations. Nevertheless, the structure is wafer thin to justify the
running time.
There’s nothing wrong with a robust slow-burn thriller and
noirs could be engaging even when we can’t fully figure out what’s happening
(eg, “Inherent Vice” or the masterpiece “The Big Sleep”). Goldstone doesn’t
belong to neither of these categories. The dialogues aren’t subtle and the
characters aren’t strong enough to substitute the lack of mystery. Wenham and
Jackie Weaver elevate their caricatured villain characters through their
wonderful performances. There are quite a few inorganic scenes to insist on the
film’s themes or to deliver information. The brothel madame’s bleak advice to the
young Chinese girl, and Jay’s encounter with prostitute ‘Pinky’ (operating out
of a mobile brothel) are some examples of the inorganic narrative beats. These
prolonged scenes and recurring motifs rather than adding weight to the
structure only turns it into a tiring experience. Of course, there are few
well-written scenes. My favorites are the encounter between Chinese girl
(Michelle Lim Davidson) and Josh. They both strive to save themselves by
trusting each other (and their acquaintance is not romanticized). Eventually,
what makes Goldstone a watchable movie (if not one of the good Australian
flick) is the technical prowess of director, editor, cinematographer and
musical composer Ivan Sen. He shows an amazing restraint in direction, which
lacks a bit in his scripts.
Sen’s frames find the seam of rich emotions lying beneath
the placid face of Aborigines and thoughtfully exhibits what it is like to live
on the fringes of a community. When Johnny promises jobs & economical
improvement for the indigenous community (during the meeting to make the
Aborigines sign off their lands) Sen observes the community’s children jumping
on a giant inflatable slide and adults with disconnected gaze (succumbed to
grog). The way Sen relates to & visualizes the indigenous experience (their
land rights issues) brings excellent vibrancy to the narrative. Director Sen
seems to love aerial shots and close-ups. His steady pace lends magnetic force
to both these oft-repeated shots. Among all the expert visual constructions,
the one indelible aspect of Sen’s film are the shoot-outs. The impressively shot
action scenes in Goldstone are tauter than the ones in “Mystery Road”. The
final shoot-out that unfurls in between the mazes of camper vans was
brilliantly visualized. There’s ample pause and silence in his action scenes
rather than imagining it as a bullet-fest. Aaron Pedersen once again delivers a
brooding performance as Jay. Pedersen impeccably showcases the frustration of
being part of the establishment and part of the indigenous world. His demeanor
and some of his mannerisms remind us of the famous fictional gumshoe Philip
Marlowe.
Trailer
Goldstone (110 minutes) was an expertly filmed and
performed outback noir with sharp & relevant social commentary (human
trafficking, cultural destruction and corporate corruption). Although the
writing is not so intriguing, the creative pursuit to expose the mistreatment
of marginalized people delivers a fine impact.
★★★½
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