The 2002 film Beneath Clouds, directed and written by native Australian Ivan Sen, tells the story of two alienated youths and the conflict of race within Australian society. Lena (Danielle Hall), a white-passing half aboriginal girl, struggles with her identity and longs to be reunited with her Irish roots as she is often repulsed by the aboriginal community that she lives in, including her own mother. Vaughn (Damian Pitt), a juvenile delinquent who feels the constant oppression of being a visible minority, has intense resentment towards all white people. Not only does he feel isolated by racism, he also has no contact to the outside world because he is imprisoned.
Vaughn is informed that his mother has become gravely ill and reluctantly breaks out of prison to see her. He crosses paths with Lena, who is fed up with her family and decides to break out of the prison that she calls home. The two youths walk through rural Australia together, at first begrudgingly, then as necessity, and finally with enthusiasm. During their journey, they both learn about themselves and each other’s struggles with identity and race.
Sen lends our eyes to the rural landscape of the Australian country side as Lena and Vaughn walk down the often desolate highway. With wide shots of the two youths walking between fenced fields down a long tarmac, we sense that they are both fugitives of the constraints of society, unable to break free from the boxes they are put in. These shots also imply the long road to reconciliation and equality.
The dialogue between both characters is very monotone, implying that they are both hardened by the struggles that they have faced as well as their reluctance to open up. Although their emotionless demeanors are deliberate, it is difficult to determine whether or not the actors are conveying intense stoicism, or if the quality of acting is poor. Both Hall and Pitt are first time actors, and at times it is terribly evident.
Both characters are written with polarizing differences, Sen does this to prove to the audience that we are all prisoners of our own circumstances. Lena has the disadvantage of being a woman, but the advantage of being visibly white. Whereas Vaughn has the advantage of being a man, but the disadvantage of a person of colour. Sen further illustrates the ubiquity of racism in Australia with blatant micro and macro aggressions towards Vaughn from white folks throughout the film. Police brutality is also prevalent in the film, bringing to mind the violence and ferocity brought on to people of colour by the police in the United States.
Despite their differences, Lena and Vaughn build an understanding for each other by their shared experiences and dilemmas. Both youths have strained family relationships and struggle with their own identities. They both wish to be freed of the confines that society has put them in, and come together because of it. Sen further shows the audience that despite our differences, whether they be race or gender, unity and acceptance are possible if we take the time to understand one another.
Angela Amato 