Australian Rules

2002
1h 35m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

880

YOUR RATING

In Prospect Bay, a remote outpost on the South Australian coast, two communities come together on the football field. But the underlying racism and class warfare threatens to make the team's greatest victories irrelevant. This holds particularly true for Blacky, a white teen who is more interested in books than sport, and his best friend, Dumby, the Aboriginal star of the team.

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Drama Romance Sport

In a coastal town, football bridges two groups amid underlying tensions. A book-loving white teen and his gifted Aboriginal friend face challenges as their team aims for glory.In a coastal town, football bridges two groups amid underlying tensions. A book-loving white teen and his gifted Aboriginal friend face challenges as their team aims for glory.In a coastal town, football bridges two groups amid underlying tensions. A book-loving white teen and his gifted Aboriginal friend face challenges as their team aims for glory.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

880

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 7 wins & 17 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:35

Official Trailer

Photos2

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Screen adaptation from a novel is not only about leaving things out but also about strengthening links. By creating a stronger relationship between the Blacky and Dumby's red sister Clarence characters, the film brought the crux of the source novel's ideas about racism and Blacky's growing awareness of bigotry and hypocrisy, into a sharper focus.

Goofs
All entries contain spoilers

Quotes
Gary 'Blacky' Black: Old man's Fruit and Nut?
Liz Black: Old man's Fruit and f***ing nut

Connections
Featured in Behind the Scenes of Australian Rules (2003)

User reviews24

Featured review

7/10

BLACK, WHITE AND AUSSIE ALL OVER

Billed as a tough-as-nails take on racism in a small South Australia town, AUSTRALIAN RULES is better described as a coming of age story under the harshest of conditions as a young boy learns to stand up to his oppressive father.

Based on the book `Deadly Unna' by Phillip Gwynne, the screenplay by Gwynne and director Paul Goldman walks a fine line as it deftly exposes the hypocrisy of racism, without the unnecessary preaching that could so easily have slipped the story into melodrama. Also well balanced are two excellent subplots - the rag tag footie team attempting to win the all important Premiership, and the romantic subplot of the lead character, Blackie, pursuing a taboo love affair with an Aboriginal girl.

The cast of unknown actors is uniformly good, portraying both the hard hitting drama and lowbrow comedic moments with equal strength and aplomb.

AUSTRALIAN RULES is definitely worth a try.