Set in the Western Australian wheat-belt in 1968 (but actually filmed in Yass near Canberra), this is a character driven film about two 15 year-old boys – Ed (Xavier Samuel), the white, schoolboy son of the farm owner, and Paddy (Clarence John Ryan who attends Warwick Senior High School), who along with his father is an Aboriginal farm worker who seems to spend most of his time mending fences. These were the days when Aboriginal workers were given shelter, food and tobacco, but no wages in exchange for their labour.
Ed and Paddy spend their afternoons together – reading, laughing, smoking and sparring in the boxing ring they have built in the middle of the dust-filled landscape. Their friendship is solid despite the differences that divide them, but the winds of change are heading their way. A new girl, Amelia (Mia Wasikowska), moves into the neighbouring farm and takes an interest in Ed, and, as the government of the day legislates that Aboriginal workers are to be paid equal wages, Ed’s father struggles to keep the farm running. These stresses cause fractures in the boys’ friendship.
This powerful film is uniquely Australian, with the landscape reflecting the changing moods of the narrative. It is not an overtly political film; however, September shines a light on how political decisions that are beyond people’s control can affect relationships. Although legislation to pay Aboriginal workers was well intended, the film shows that there were disastrous consequences for both the farm owners and the workers. While the deceptively simple story concentrates on the personal, it reverberates with the consequences for a nation.
Directed by Peter Carstairs. Rated M.
