Introduction to ‘Little Fish’
Good afternoon, my name is Roger Swanson and I am a Community Learning Librarian
here at the library. I program and manage the Film Club.
‘Little Fish’ is Australian director Rowan Woods’ much anticipated second feature after
his claustrophobic ‘The Boys’ (which showcased an electrifying performance by David
Wenham). Once again, Woods has managed to secure a swag of great actors to explore
the tensions and relationship history of a family struggling in the outer Sydney suburbs.
The Cabramatta we see in the film could be any other Asian city; trees decorated with
lanterns, banners flapping over sidewalks, the noisy hum of street markets and locals
practicing Tai-Chi in parks. Notice the brilliant use of colour at night; special lenses
deliberately stripped of their anti-flare coatings achieve this unorthodox effect.
This film will rely on your interpretation to sort out the characters’ back story. You will
also notice a frequent use of photos to emphasise a theme of the ever present past.
You will find little of the theatrics used to propel many other crime dramas, instead this is
an intimate, compelling film where confronting subject matter and social realism is taken
to a more poetic plane through an atmospheric style. An example is seen in Sam Neil’s
villainous character Brad, whose menace is enhanced by his mysterious and understated
performance.
Also of interest is the sound design. You may notice the composed music merges into
the real background noise of a scene. It is tricky to tell where one ends and the other
begins.
Look out for a film screen debut by Lisa McCune (well known now from the TV series ‘Sea
Patrol’ & ‘Blue Heelers’) and also a brief cameo from the retired football star Ian Roberts
in his first film appearance.
This disk we are using unfortunately has no subtitles, but my study notes include the
dialogue from a few key scenes for your own revision at a later time.
Raise your hand if you are here for the first time today.
Raise your hand if you will be staying for the discussion.
If you are not attending the discussion after the film, who would like a copy of the
discussion notes to take home?
If you want a second cup of coffee or tea after the film then please hold onto your cup
and saucer, as we have limited sets of crockery.
The library basement car park will remain open until the Film Club discussion ends.
Fire exits are to your left on this wall.
Little Fish
Tagline: The past is right here
Directed by Rowan Woods, (2005)
Written by Jacqueline Perske
Winner of 5 AFI awards in 2006
Lead Cast:
Cate Blanchett as Tracy Heart
Hugo weaving as Lionel
Noni Hazlehurst as Janelle Heart
Martin Henderson as Ray Heart
Sam Neill as Brad
Dustin Nguyen as Jonny
Lisa McCune as Laura
1>> [Tracy and Jonny dine in a classy city restaurant]
Jonny:
I’ve heard the food is pretty good here.
Tracy:
Like you read restaurant reviews now?
Jonny:
Sometimes I do, yeah.
Waiter:
Are you ready to order?
Jonny:
Yeah, what would you like?
[Tracy looks undecided and uncomfortable]
Tracy:
I don’t want to be here. I just want to go home okay?
….How is this so easy for you? Is it easy?
Jonny:
Well what do you reckon?
?Why does Tracy walk out of the restaurant?
?What is going on?
Tracy feels to be in a foreign place. It is not an environment she can be herself.
Both characters are ex junkies (heroin users), yet Jonny has the appearance of having
comfortably moved up and out of that world.
Tracy is nervous that by recommencing a relationship with Jonny will open up their dark
past of heroin addiction.
Letting Jonny back into her life means she may lose control once again of her structured
life she has built up.
Director’s comment: “My screenwriter lulls the audience into thinking they know how a
scene will play out or how one character fits into another’s life then she pulls the rug out
from under their feet.”
2>> ?Can you think of any examples of this (besides the restaurant scene) in the film?
When Tracy leaves the school reunion she visits Lionel and relaxes in his company, lying
back suggestively on the lounge as he plays air guitar to the stereo, their familiarity is
obvious and we assume they are lovers until it is revealed that Lionel is her estranged
step father. In the same scene Brad is introduced, seemingly as a drug supplier. When
Lionel kisses brad another aspect of the story unravels.
3>> [Brad has a question for his driver Steve]
Brad:
What ever happened to that bikie couple that were running a speed factory
(amphetamine lab) for us?
Steve:
Merv and Eileen?
Brad:
Yes, where did they go?
Steve:
Ah, Kangaroo Valley I think. They’ve got some goats.
Brad:
Goats?
[We next see Brad thinking about the conversation while watching the end of a
greyhound race being called on his sports channel]
? What makes this an example of good script writing?
As well as being humorous, it leaves the viewer guessing as to whether Steve may be
hiding something from his unsuspecting boss.
? What elements of drama and human interest does it succinctly contain in the pairing
of the two scenes?
The concerned Brad thinking while the dog race call ends suggests that he also has ‘run
his last race’.
4>> Compare these two sequential scenes in the film:
[Tracy has a business loan appointment]
Loans manager: Tracy, we did a credit check on you…look here on the application, ‘Have
you been refused credit in the last 10 years?’ You ticked the box ‘No’ when it should
have been ‘Yes’.
Tracy:
Everyone ticks ‘No’, it just means fuckin’ ‘Yes’!
Manager:
Okay, this isn’t going anywhere. [she stands up to conclude the interview]
[Ray and Jonny meet Steve down at the club to conclude a drug supply business deal]
Jonny:
Are we good ? [They shake hands]
Steve:
Hey Ray, what were you doing this morning? I saw you on the street idiot!
Ray:
It was ‘Open for Inspection’ mate.
Steve:
The only reason you’re useful to me is if you’re a speck a thousand miles from
anyone of importance. If by accident we do meet, you look straight through me and
I do likewise.
Ray:
Yeah, yeah sure.
Steve: [now turning to Jonny]
The deal’s still on.
? What are the neat comparisons evident in these two parallel scenes?
Tracy is trying the legal way to borrow money and is refused.
Ray and Jonny are stitching up some illegal drug deal and succeed.
Ray is shown to be unaware of elements of the criminal code and out of his depth, but
the deal is still on.
Tracy is more resourceful and trying to do the right thing yet her history brings her down.
Director’s comment: “In Cabramatta, racial divide was once a big issue. Now, any racist
who had an issue with Asian immigrants has since left. We now have a mix of the
traditional Asian folk, the Asian Aussies and then the Aussie Aussies”.
5>> ?Can you give a examples for each of these 3 types of people in the film?
Jonny’s uncle and aunt are Asian folk.
Jonny is an Asian Aussie.
Ray is the most typical Aussie Aussie.
? Where does Tracy Heart (Blanchett) fit in these categories?
Tracy sits between the last 2 types as she speaks an Asian language.
6>> In my introduction to the film I mentioned how the audience is not given all the
information of a character’s back story. The director wants you to guess at the
details.
? What do you assume is the back story between Lionel (Tracy’s gay father figure) and
Janelle (Tracy’s mum)?
Were they once lovers?
Was Lionel just a gay family friend?
Why was a big rugby star drawn to the Heart family anyway?
A deleted scene: [at the open house inspection when Brad’s former wife sees Janelle.]
Denise:
I know you…you were Lionel Dawson’s straight cover for a while.
Director’s comment: “A traditional movie would button down the relationships between
the main characters in the first three acts. Contemporary films often don’t tie up
loose ends or don’t have a character remain consistent through the film.”
7>>Film Trivia question: Did you recognise the real Rugby star who joins Ray in the
shopping mall at the ‘Legendz’ signing booth?
Ian Roberts.
?What is the neat irony of having Ian Roberts meeting up with Hugo Weaving’s ‘Lionel
Dawson’ in the shopping mall?
Roberts IS a famous gay retired rugby star, whereas Hugo Weaving is acting as one.
Ian Roberts
Played for the Rabbitohs, the Sea Eagles and captained the Queensland Cowboys before
retiring due to accumulated injuries.
Also selected for State of Origin and international games.
After his retirement he studied at NIDA and his first cameo role was in ‘Little Fish’.
He also appeared in the TV ‘Underbelly’ series playing a bodyguard to George Freeman.
His first starring role was in the film ‘Saltwater’ (an American indie film about
relationships not crocodiles!).
8>>Examine these two scenes:
[Janelle has a drunken rant at Ray’s birthday dinner]
Tracy:
So, when do you start work?
Jonny:
Friday, in the city.
Janelle:
Oh, I suppose you’ll be moving out, up to Strathfield or somewhere….You
may not have noticed this Jonny, but people have been running from this place,
almost everyone, all the houses have changed hands.
Ray:
Yeah, well they’ll be kicking themselves, places ‘round here going up.
Jonny:
People just want the best for their families.
Janelle:
Oh, right. And I don’t?
Jonny:
You say you don’t understand these people but they’re just doing what you
would if you had the money.
and
[Tracy reveals to her mum that she hasn’t secured the loan]
Janelle:
You’ve done well, you manage the store.
Tracy:
I don’t want to just have a job. Four years I’ve been working in that place,
turning up on time, spending hours chained up in there.
Notice here a recurring theme of people’s dreams and aspirations.
? Can you recall any other character’s dreams for something better than what they now
have?
An example is Ray checking out Brad Thompson’s harbour side mansion.
(Compare this to Janelle’s attitude when walking through the same home!)
Lionel (a hopeless romantic) dreams of kicking the habit and living with Brad.
Steve Moss is deceptively taking over Brad’s drug distribution network, and is being
encouraged by his ‘Lady Macbeth’ wife.
(Steve Moss’ home is a less grand suburban version of Brad’s harbour side mansion notice the white walls, large pool and new landscaping!)
Film Facts: Noni Hazlehurst has won 3 AFI awards for Waiting at the Royal (2000), Fran
(1985), and Monkey Grip (1982).
9>> ? Why is Lionel’s desperate request for Tracy to score heroin for him such an
enormous danger for her?
Director’s comment: “Addiction is a physical and emotional need that stays at the back of
their mind even years after detoxification. There is the constant fear that even a
certain place or even a smell could set them back on a dangerous trail of revisiting
their past.”
A great scene: Once Tracy scores for Lionel she finds the temptation to shoot up too
strong to resist. She enters a community centre looking for the toilets but stops
when confronted by the overwhelming sound of a children’s choir singing the
Australian song Flame Trees by Cold Chisel.
We share some history this town and I…
Oh the flame trees will blind the weary driver
And there’s nothing else could set fire to this town
Number one is to find some friends who’ll say I’m doing fine
Number two is the happy hour at one of two hotels
Number three is never saying her name.
Chorus: There’s no change, there’s no pace
Everything within its place
Just makes it harder to believe that she won’t be around.
10>> Does this scene work for you?
Many reviewers responded positively to this scene;
A glowing example is this one; “Watching Tracy grappling with her conscience, looking at
the bathroom door with heroin in her pocket is one of the most powerful scenes you are
likely to see.”
I could not help thinking that some people respond on a subliminal level to this nostalgic
song (and are fans of Cold Chisel) and that explains their very high praise of it.
? What are the lyrics about?
The song seems to be about a man visiting the town of his youth where a mysterious girl
of much significance to him has passed away.
11>> A observation from Cate Blanchett:
“These characters, who’ve had exciting hopeful dreams in their twenties, have had those
dreams dashed…They’re desperately trying to work out who they are in their thirties.
And that’s a whole unseen side of society…deeply uncool, unfashionable people who
rarely get represented in cinema.”
?In what ways are Janelle’s children like big kids who haven’t grown up?
They’re both still living at home.
Ray is no doubt living off the compo from his accident.
They are caught out lying to their mother, like they are both in a state of arrested
development.
A comment from the director:
“It was a really honest, peculiarly Sydney story with a mythic bent…a Shakespearean
universe with ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances…We go behind
Tracy’s point of view and are always aware of plans brewing behind her back that may
bring her down.”
A comment from the screenwriter:
“I have always had a desire to see a suburban girl have a life Shakespearean.”
12>>Tracy’s foolish brother Ray is like a clown for the audience to enjoy.
?What are the two sides to his character?
On the one hand he is a creep and a drug peddler and on another he is fragile and
vulnerable and (importantly) humorous so we come to like him in some way.
Director’s comment: “Disabled people and amputees are very vulnerable...Ray would not
have had sex or a girlfriend since the accident…Martin Henderson (Ray) is also a master
at showing fear.”
13>> Martin Henderson (as Ray Heart) won several awards for his supporting role in
Little Fish. He looks like a convincing amputee, but is he really missing one leg below
the knee?
I was researching how the real life actor lost his leg to include as ‘Film Trivia’.
Was his amputation from an earlier motorcycle accident I thought?
In online biographies I could find no mention of his accident, then I saw this picture of
the same actor with his new girlfriend Demi Moore. He has two perfectly formed legs!
The director’s commentary makes no mention of this oddity, or of digitally removing his
leg in post production but whoever did the work did a damn fine job!
14>> A crucial scene:
[Janelle is comforting a tearful Tracy in her bedroom]
Tracy:
It’s not that easy Mum.
Janelle:
No, no it’s not.
Tracy:
You would have done something different if you could have wouldn’t you?
If it’d change things for you?
Janelle:
[she nods] Tracy, it’s your life darling. It’s no-one else’s.
? In this scene Janelle has unwittingly given her daughter permission to do something
unlawful. What was that?
To steal / borrow money from the shop to secure a drugs deal with Ray and Jonny.
15>> The scene at the bush compound speed factory is deliberately ambiguous.
? What do you think happened between Lionel, Brad and Moss?
Director’s comment: “I deliberately did not present clear answers as to who killed the
‘Jockey’ and dragged him from the caravan or who ‘shot up’ Lionel with a lethal
dose of heroin. I wanted to stay in the point of view of the three people in the car
driving into the compound and who escape with their lives having not understood
all that has just happened there.
16>> Once again the song Flame Trees is used over the final beach scene.
Director’s comment: “Beach scenes bookend the beginning and end of the film…Lionel
was once a great sportsman; his strength and prowess on the field were his own
temple (of worship), now he is ashamed to go to the beach because his muscles
have wasted away. But eventually Tracy will fulfil her promise to him and take
him there.”
? Does this final scene carry you emotionally or does it seem blackly comic to have
Lionel’s corpse lying on the sand while they swim?
17>> A criticism of the film:
“As a mood piece it succeeds in a way, but as drama it is less rewarding”
? Do you think this is a fair comment?