Caring about Mental Illness: The Power of Melodrama in Contemporary Australian Cinema

Between 1989 and 1996, six feature films were produced in Australia that shared an interest in depicting mental illness and exploring the boundaries between normality and insanity. While they were different in style and market positioning, ranging from cult classics and art films, to commercial successes and failures, these films - Sweetie (Jane Campion, 1989), Bad Boy Bubby (Rolf de Heer, 1993), Angel Baby (Michael Rymer, 1995), Lilian's Story (Jerzy Domaradski, 1995), Cosi (Mark Joffe, 1996) and Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996) - portray mental illness through the eyes and experiences of the afflicted protagonist or, in the case of Cosi, through the encounters of the protagonist with a range of afflicted characters. I am interested in the ways in which these films rely upon codes and conventions of melodrama to stage mental illness in a sympathetic and emotionally affective manner for the audience. Historically, mentally ill characters in mainstream cinema have been depicted as sources of horror or comedy. These films, however, seek to challenge the audience by encouraging them to care about these characters, even inviting them to identify with the characters and to empathise with their dilemmas. It is through the power of melodrama that this caring response is evoked.