The popular web series How to Talk Australians has been adapted into a feature film, bringing its sharp satire of Australian culture to the big screen. The movie follows students and teachers from the fictitious Delhi College of Linguistics as they embark on a study tour to learn about Australian language and customs.
A Satirical Look at Australian Culture
The film’s principal characters are from the Delhi College of Linguistics, though neither the director Tony Rogers nor the screenwriters Rogers and Rob Hibbert are of Indian heritage. This allows the creators to draw on deeply ingrained knowledge of Australian culture while satirically positioning the work through an external lens. The central trick of the film is to present Australia as the rest of the world imagines it: a sun-baked exotic frontier populated by beer-swilling rubes, who construct giant fruit-shaped buildings and speak a barely comprehensible mutation of English. The humour resonates with an uncomfortable ring of truth, as many such stereotypes still exist in parts of the country.
The Plot
The story begins at the college, a run-down place with malfunctioning old technology. Dean Devdan (Vikrant Narain) promises the class an authentic study tour where they will meet "outback bushmen or a sheila" and even "touch a big pineapple." On the flight over, the Aussie pilot wolfs down a beer and lights up a ciggie. But instead of landing in Sydney, storms divert the plane to Dubbo airport, which is basically a crappy warehouse with tin sheds. After an incident with customs, Devdan is separated from the pack and scores a car from a grubby local (Shane Jacobson), while the rest of the group hop on a bus. Their tour of the "real" Awstraya begins, encountering filthy two-bit locations like motels, caravan parks, and roadside diners where they can buy local delicacies like Chiko Rolls. When asked what’s in these deep-fried tubes, a befuddled staff member responds: "I don’t know. Nobody knows."
Performances
Crucially, the cast never appears to be working hard for laughs. Vikrant Narain is the film’s comic centre of gravity, wandering through scenes with a wonderfully dazed, stoner-ish energy, resigned to whatever absurdity is thrown at him. Rohan Ganju’s performance as Chester is also notable, with an easy-going presence that suits the material. Chester declares himself in love with an Australian woman named Karen, who he praises for introducing him to "meat pies, AFL, casual racism – it’s a rich cultural stew."
Entertaining Interludes
Interspersed throughout the runtime are short, entertaining snippets from faux educational videos, unpacking subjects like the confusing number of beer glass sizes – pots, pints, schooners, middies, ponies, jugs. These moments keep the pace bouncy as the characters roll into random scenarios and encounter more of the country’s most terrifying creatures: the locals.
While some may argue the film is a one-trick pony, the shtick never gets old. Everything builds towards an enjoyably daffy climax involving an airborne emergency, where a student must rise to a challenge, tapping into reserves of strength expressed through the timeless declaration: "We’re not here to fuck spiders." How to Talk Australians: The Movie is in Australian cinemas from 11 June.
