Australian Cinema and Genre

Swimming Upstream incorporates many types and genres of Australian films. The genres and types of Australian films I noticed were:

Social Realist Film:
Swimming Upstream is a social realist film for its reference to domestic violence, alcoholism, and suicide. Harold is the central character, when talking about the film from a social realist perspective, as he is the one that initiates violence against his eldest son, Harry Jnr., and his wife Dora; causes his wife to attempt suicide; and consumes excessive amounts of alcohol when he is depressed. Drinking causes Harold’s aggressive nature, and usually eventuates in him lashing out at anyone who is near him. Dora, after being constantly frightened of Harold’s drunkenness, is pushed to edge of suicide. Her survival was only possible through Toni’s and John’s quick realisation that their mother needed medical help.

The Australianess of this genre comes from the character of Harold. Harold reminds me of many Australian men I have had contact with throughout my years. He is arrogant, short tempered, likes his alcohol, and demands to be treated like the man of the house. He teaches his children to be, competitive, and to stand up for them selves with violence. I say this is Australian, because of the traditional masculine characteristics he holds. He deals with his frustrations through aggression, works in a lower class job to support his family, expects dinner to be served on time, and always has a beer in his hand.

He is very different from his son Toni, who is a new age sensitive male who plays the piano and wants to be loved. Toni shows his emotions through talking and discussing, whereas Harold deals with his emotions through aggression and violence. Toni also chooses not to drink, only having one sip of beer throughout the whole movie, which shows a transition from the traditional Australian male to the new age sensitive Australian male.

Woman’s Film:
I chose this type of film for Swimming Upstream, because of the very real and frightened character of Dora. Dora and Harold’s relationship becomes a nightmare for Dora as she becomes frightened, and victimised by the drunk Harold. She ends up becoming a prisoner of her own house, unable to talk to friends, and voice her opinion. She feels like she cannot leave him, because if she does she will not have any money or anywhere to live. Dora is one of the central characters in Swimming Upstream, providing the point of view for the spectator through some of the film. It is through her eyes that we see the tension between Toni, Harold, and John. A lot of the film is about how she has fallen victim to Harold’s drunken rages. You could say this film comes under the paranoid gothic thriller, as there is many parts in the film were you feel like Harold could possibly kill her.

You could also say that this film comes under medical discourse woman’s film, as Dora does attempt suicide. However, she is not seen throughout the film as medically ill, but rather under a lot of stress.

Another Australian movie for comparison is The Piano (Jane Campion, 1983) which tells the story of a young woman (Holly Hunter) who has been mute since the age of 6. She is forced to live in a relationship with Alistair (Sam Neill), her husband, out of fear of his murderous tendencies. Both of these movies had me on the edge of my seat hoping that the men would not physically hurt the women. Swimming Upstream and The Piano both hone in on strong woman who have been forced to live in fear of their husband’s violent reactions.

The Australianess of Swimming Upstream, as a woman’s film, comes from the very strong, working class, Dora. She is a nurturing and caring mother who considers her children equal. She takes on a Australian woman battling to find money to feed her five children, dressing her family well before she worries about herself, and sticking up for her children when they are under the scrutiny of their father.  She deals with everything except the constant alcohol abuse of her violent husband.

Sport Film:
It is obvious why this film falls into the category of sport film. The story is based around Tony Fingletons success as an Australian swimmer. The film follows his training, competitions, wins and losses as he develops into the best Australian backstroker of his time. 

The film follows very similar Australian films, such as Dawn (Ken Hannam, 1979) and Phar Lap (Simon Wincer, 1983). Each of these films follows the rising success of its subjects through dramatic interludes and inspirational races. It is about the subject being the best at their particular sport, and becoming well known for it. All of the subjects compete in known Australian races such as the Melbourne Cup or the Commonwealth games. We associate the subjects as being the best at their specialised sport.

Swimming Upstream, as a sports film, has many linkages with Australia. Firstly, it is set in Australia and Toni Fingleton seems to be near water whenever he needs to clear his head, whether it is at the beach, the river, or the swimming pool. Being a country that is surrounded by water, this is a great representation of the Australian environment. Secondly, all the competitions are held in different parts of Australia, even the Empire Games, showing that Australia is where Toni Fingleton developed as an athlete. Lastly is the appearance of Dawn Fraser as Dawn Frasers coach, and Murray Rose as a Reporter. Both Fraser and Murray are famous Australian swimmers both competing and winning gold at an Olympic games. Their appearance in the movie gives audiences an Australian icon to reflect on.

Coming of Age:

Swimming Upstream is a coming of age film that follows Toni’s journey from childhood all the way through to being a young adult. We see him having fun as a child, being scared as a child, racing, winning, loosing, becoming the Australian champion, and entering university on the other side of the world. His Journey is truly remarkable and inspiring. As the movie progresses, Toni’s journey is focused on gaining his fathers attention and love. By the end of the film Toni realises that he is never going to be recognised by his father, so his energies go into doing things for himself like university and the Empire Games.

Looking for Alibrandi (Kate Woods, 2000) is a good example of another Australian film which follows the same type of path as Swimming Upstream. Looking for Alibrandi, is similar to Swimming Upstream in that it follows Josie Alibrandi (Pia Miranda) on her journey to discover who she really is. Swimming Upstream also does this by following Toni on his journey to grow up and discover himself without the help of his father. I enjoyed both of these films and the inspirational journeys both Josie and Toni took. I think both the films lead Josie and Toni into adulthood with a broader and more in depth understanding about them selves and the world they lived in.

Biopic:
Biopic is an easy genre to pick up in this film, because it is the true story of Anthony Fingleton. The story focuses on Toni’s opportunities to become the number one Australian swimmer in backstroke, which is the way many people in Australia who follow the Olympics know him, but also focuses on the much darker and competitive life he lives at home. His story ends up being more about his violent and dysfunctional family life than about his successes as an Australian swimmer.

Swimming Upstream, as a biopic, is very similar to the structure and events of the Australian film, Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996). Shine focuses on the famous pianist David Helfgott and reveals the abuse and torture that he had to endure throughout his childhood. Both of these films expose the characters unknown dysfunctional lives to the Australian public. By doing this, David Helfgoot and Toni Fingleton are sympathised with and are seen as deserving success because they had to endure so much heartache.

The Australianess in this particular genre comes from the meritocratic viewpoint that if you try hard enough you will succeed. When Toni is not at home dealing with emotional abuse, he is at the swimming pool training. Toni always puts in a hundred percent into his swimming and that is why he wins his swimming races.  His hard work rewards him in the end, which is an ideological position that many Australians take that if you try hard you will succeed.