Debra Manskey

Judy & Punch (2019)

Written and directed by Mirrah Foulkes

I’ve come to this late in its cinema run (blame uni!) and I’m very glad I caught it on the big screen. I knew from the opening shot that Judy & Punch was going to be a very un-Australian Australian film. Rather than the archetypal bush or outback setting, this cleverly used an artist colony in Eltham and heavily forested areas in the Dandenongs, both less than an hour from the Melbourne CBD. Combined with some excellent lighting and cinematography by Stefan Duscio this brings a Gothic tone.

Set in the mythical town of Seaside, the film opens with Judy (played by the always excellent Mia Wasikowska) and Punch (an outstanding Damon Herriman) putting on their puppet show for the townsfolk. The grime amid the greasepaint is evident, giving the film a fairytale, magical feel – part Dickens, part Shakespeare with a terrified Gothic heart – something I’d expect from the best of Terry Gilliam’s work. There is comedy here too, and it’s black – especially the scene where Punch ‘loses the baby’ – not for the faint hearted! 

Seaside is a town that will not tolerate difference or deviance from the norm, and particularly suggested to me, a society in fear of women – which in 2019 Australia is disturbingly familiar. There are regular ‘stoning days’ and a colony of outcasts that takes Judy in after Punch leaves her for dead in the forest. Punch is always on the edge and Herriman plays him to perfection, with all the charm, anger and fear one expects from a character such as this, constantly dancing between extreme narcissism and self-loathing.  

The final act of the film is a revenge motif and, for the most part works quite well, though for me, it wasn’t as satisfying as the first two acts. I found the examination of domestic violence and the politics of difference a little heavy handed at times but maybe that’s just what we need right now. I live in a country where (on average) one in three women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 and one woman a week is murdered by a current or former partner. As a survivor myself, I think this is an important shift in film narrative that is long overdue in Australia. 

Finally, I think it’s important to remember this is Mirrah Foulkes’ first feature length film – and what a stunning directorial debut! While it has gained accolades and awards overseas, I hope this film reaches an audience beyond the festival and arthouse circuit – especially here in Australia, where we need to have a serious conversation about Mr Punch.