Cunnamulla Documentary Analysis

As the name suggests, the documentary Cunnamulla, written, produced and directed by Dennis O'Rourke, is about life at the end of the railway line 800 km west of Brisbane. Considering that rural and regional Australia is commanding the political stage and crying out for funding it seems about time that this doco was made. With noble ideals, this award winning doco does nothing more than entrench the stereotypes. The director’s purpose must have been to make fun of life in Cunnamulla as the outcome resulted in him enforcing the typical stereotypes.

The music at the beginning created the anticipation of a more classic depiction of rural Australia and the expectation of a more joyful view of Cunnamulla, with the promise of ‘glad tidings’ and ‘peace’. The audio does not compliment the visuals since they use a well-known Australian icon, Slim Dusty’s music as they present a family with children sitting purposelessly on their porch drinking soft drinks and alcohol. This portrays a generalised view that this is the general behaviour in Cunnamulla, shedding a very negative light over the entire community. As a cheery game shop airs over the radio, the documentary shows a dog being shot by its owner. There is no emotion involved. The actions seem carried out in casual stride as if part of a normal everyday routine.
Instead zooms footage on individuals who paint a boring sombre picture of the town. Most of the footage is of people lazily lounging around. Use of long shots between interviews create a sense of isolation, and an uneventful pace, and the places chosen being run down, desolate and barren. The opening scene of the doco, of a sheep dip, gives us a rustic and authentic view of Cunnamulla, as there is no music or narration to support