IFWT #26 - Wake in Fright (1971)

Following our analysis on Roadgames (1981), we’re returning to the Australian Outback with Wake In Fright. Released during a crucial time for Australian cinema, premiering at the beginning of both the Australian New Wave and Ozploitation movement, it follows indentured schoolteacher John Grant as he prepares to take a hiatus from the sands of the Outback and travel to the coast for his Christmas holiday. But a reckless and impulsive decision leaves him penniless and stranded in a small rural town, where there’s seemingly nothing to do but while away the hours drinking beer after beer. Falling in a with a crowd of mad locals who wholeheartedly embrace the local pastime, John experiences a terrifying journey into the dark depths of the human soul. This week we examine the metaphors, symbolism and subtext of one the most explosive films to come form the land Down Under. Join us if you dare, but we warn you, it’s gonna be a mad ride!