Beyond Bidwill
Reviewed by Alex Sutcliffe
Contrary to how it would seem, life in western Sydney goes on after the election. Beyond Bidwill sets out to raise awareness about the lives of young people in one of the area’s most impoverished suburbs. The documentary follows a group of teenage boys on a pilgrimage of sorts through the Tasmanian wilderness. This amateur, though heart-warming, coming-of-age film ultimately aims to spread a message of charity.
The production is sometimes sloppy; the footage has, unashamedly, been edited on iMovie. Moreover, the soundtrack seems to have little in the way of a unifying theme. Electro-pop is hardly a fitting genre to express the profound beauty of Tasmania’s peaks. Despite this, many of the shots do capture this beauty. Considering that young director, Josh Wyatt, was working under difficult conditions this is particularly admirable.
The lack of production values can perhaps be overlooked, as the artistic component in the filming of Beyond Bidwill was secondary to giving the featured young men a life altering experience. The film was produced, above all, to raise awareness for the work of the BidwillUnitingChurch. To this end, the learning curve of each young man becomes core to the film. Their growth is a testament to Bidwill Uniting’s cause. The other major success of the film is the genuine jocularity of the boys. Their unyielding humour provides a voice of laughter and hope for the youth of Bidwill.
This focus on young men is the most pressing problem with praising Beyond Bidwill’s cause. There is no discussion of any equivalent programme, or lack there of, for young women in the area. Obviously, lack of funding for such a programme is systematic and so cannot be ascribed to Wyatt. However, this is still a saddening absence from a documentary that aims to promote awareness.
Beyond Bidwill may have a number of flaws that could be ironed out, but the people and the wilderness it portrays give it purpose. Despite its deficiencies as a piece of film, it does manage to capture humour, beauty and spiritual growth.
