Richard Green was in Long Bay Prison in New South Wales when director Kriv Stenders approached him for a part in a short film, and would use Green to star in “Boxing Day”, a ferocious Australian film with teeth made of razor blades.
Green is an Indigenous spoken word poet, with a powerful voice and an incredible fluidity in his face. Stenders drew on Green’s experience in White Australia and in prison to draft the screenplay of “Boxing Day”, about a small family gathering the day after Christmas.
Without any hyperbole, it’s easy to declare “Boxing Day” as one of the most powerful Australian films that I’ve ever seen. The story is simple, and easily deciphered Green plays Chris, an Indigenous man recently released from prison, preparing dinner for his sister in law, her new boyfriend, and her daughter, who is like a daughter to Chris.
The boyfriend is played by notable Aussie actor Syd Brisbane, who plays the role with comfortable ease all the other actors in the production are inexperienced, selected for their first role and given improvised scripts to work with.
In order to make the film seem even more tangible, Stenders filmed the entire movie himself, on handheld, all in a continuous take. There are no cuts to show the passage of time or rescue the audience from awkward situations. We’re forced to sit through the dinner as they are, and the effect is one of great discomfort.
The end result is something powerful, unlike any other Australian film you might have seen, woven together on pain and humiliation. Green, who co wrote the screenplay, brings a heightened sense of reality, and the other actors, pulled from the local areas, only augment that sense.
Australian cinema comes under heavy criticism from local audiences, who are more likely to spend their time watching Hollywood or foreign films than home grown fare. I’m guilty of this myself, often passing up Australian movies for something that I might not get the chance to see later. When done right though films made in this country can possess a shining flare of originality, both in the lyrical tone of the Australian accent, but also in the pain and conflict that has marked this continent since early times.
“Boxing Day” is a rare treasure, an incredible film that gives colour and character to Australia. It’s a painful film, but that pain is etched on the history of this country and it’s magnificently cathartic to experience it through cinema.
I say: This film met with resounding applause, both here and overseas. If you haven’t seen “Boxing Day”, it’s definitely one to keep.
See it for: Misty Sparrow is a tremendous young talent, and on the DVD extras, she’s full of wit and spirit. Hopefully, we see her in future Australian productions.
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