Anarchy in the Australian ‘burbs.
This roaring chronicle of the Australian punk rock scene is told with the machine gun pace and unbridled power of a hardcore riff. Director Jennifer Ross casts a wide net as she captures voices from every state capital and many regional centres as they vividly recall the universal anger that connects the movement as well as the hyperlocal subcultures that sprang up around the nation. Comprehensive and unafraid to visit the squalid darker corners, this necessary retrospective honours brilliant, unsung and flawed individuals while exploring how we are at heart a conservative, over-policed nation that needs to embrace its natural anti-authoritarianism rather than suppress it. “I thought I was making a documentary about the Australian punk scene but I soon realised that Age of Rage is also about extraordinary individuals and their passion and creativity. The initial punks were maligned and underestimated, but many of their once radical ideas found their way into the wider society. Many of these individuals are still here, and have much to say. They say it here, in this film. They are still raging.” (Director Jennifer Ross) |