the shocking reality of male rape and ritualised hazing
Caught with a book devoted to the male physique, gay boy Gareth is given a lesson he won't forget by a bunch of hetero jocks. And this particular lesson is led by Nick; a cocky youth who delights in forcing Gareth face down onto the shower floor, legs apart, whereupon he is subjected to the brutal act of anal violation. Only is the man subjecting Gareth to rape makeshift dildo style, truly homophobic or covering up his own long suppressed homosexual desires?
Not for the faint-hearted, this well-executed yet equally unsettling short was made to draw attention to acts of violence that habitually go under the guise of rites of passage; so-called 'initiation rituals' that begin in the name of good clean fun, but often end with permanent mental or physical scarring. In depicting such, both writer / Rozlyn Clayton-Vincent and director / Dean Francis have gone for the cinematic jugular and delivered a shockingly realistic work, given the severity of the central rape scene
is but a means by which to highlight the issue of ritualised hazing, one that I dare say is as widespread in Australian boarding school life, as it is in many a private educational institution in the world.
That the cast and inparticular Matt Levett as Gareth and Tom O'Sullivan as Nick deliver strong performances underline their commitment to a work that proved too controversial for many a film festival, with its screening at the 2005 Auburn International Film and Video Festival for Children and Young Adults having almost caused the event to be shut down. Then again, male rape is a serious subject and one that few features, let alone shorts, have had the courage to address.
Yet the most alarming aspect of this work is the fact that it is based on a true story, namely a series of reports in the Sydney media concerning physical abuse at a private boys school. Only somehow Clayton-Vincent has managed to turn the act of sexual violation around and deliver a twist in the closing reel of a piece that by its very nature, makes for uncomfortable viewing.
Was available on DVD as part of the dearly missed Picture This! catalogue - 'Boys Briefs #3' release
starring: Matt Levett, Tom O'Sullivan, Anthony Phelan, Daniel Feuerriegel, Adam J Yeend
Caught with a book devoted to the male physique, gay boy Gareth is given a lesson he won't forget by a bunch of hetero jocks. And this particular lesson is led by Nick; a cocky youth who delights in forcing Gareth face down onto the shower floor, legs apart, whereupon he is subjected to the brutal act of anal violation. Only is the man subjecting Gareth to rape makeshift dildo style, truly homophobic or covering up his own long suppressed homosexual desires?
That the cast and inparticular Matt Levett as Gareth and Tom O'Sullivan as Nick deliver strong performances underline their commitment to a work that proved too controversial for many a film festival, with its screening at the 2005 Auburn International Film and Video Festival for Children and Young Adults having almost caused the event to be shut down. Then again, male rape is a serious subject and one that few features, let alone shorts, have had the courage to address.
