35mm Backroads (1977)

Joined in desperation, bound for tragedy

A propulsive road move thriller that doubles as an savage polemical statement on white responsibility for Indigenous destitution.

Jack, a white vagrant, and Gary, a young Indigenous man, steal a 1962 Pontiac and head off around the dusty roads of New South Wales. They steal booze, rifles and fancy clothes, and pick up a trio of fellow travellers. But when a drunk Joe makes an irreversible mistake, the reckless group soon finds themselves pursued across the outback by the sprawling arm of the law.

This palapably furious film was the first feature where Indigenous Australians were major creative contributors. Gary Foley (who played Gary) was an Indigenous rights activist who directed the Indigenous actors and insisted on the film's radical, unsparing ending.

Rating

M

Cast

Bill Hunter, Gary Foley, Zac Martin, Terry Camilleri, Julie McGregor, Essie Coffey, Allan Penney

Director

Phillip Noyce