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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
A dark portrait of barely sympathetic, disaffected youth, Metal Skin tells the story of four social misfits whose greatest thrill is putting the pedal to the metal and drag racing their problems into oblivion. Against this background of fast cars and empty lives, the four develop a strange and complex relationship. Central to the narrative are Psycho Joe, a petrol-head with limited social skills who lives with his mentally ill father, and the womanising Dazey, whose girlfriend suffers physically and mentally for his hobby. Joe and Dazey first meet at the local supermarket where Joe has just been employed after years of unemployment. Into the mix comes Savina, a Satan-worshipping witch. While interested in Dazey, even though he is 'taken,' Savina finds herself having to fend off Joe's hopeless advances. The nihilism of these young characters, coupled with parental disputes, leads to various tragedies.
Some reviews of Metal Skin suggest that it draws on the tropes of Arthurian legends, linking the film's title to a quotation from John Boorman's 1981 Excalibur.
Notes
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The trailer for this film is available to view via YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6rj3Vajgag (Sighted: 31/8/2012)
Affiliation Notes
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Writing Disability in Australia
Type of disability Mental illness (unspecified). Type of character Secondary. Point of view Third person.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Metal Skin
2012
single work
essay
— Appears in: World Film Locations : Melbourne 2012; (p. 84-95) -
The Rules of Being Australian
2003
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , March-April no. 25 2003; This discussion of the recent film Australian Rules explores the complexities of 'representation' in both art and politics. -
Metal Skin and the Cinema of Noise
2000
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , September-October no. 9 2000; 'An attempt to put a lid on the disturbing sounds and images of Geoffrey Wright's Metal Skin.' (Editor's abstract)
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The Rules of Being Australian
2003
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , March-April no. 25 2003; This discussion of the recent film Australian Rules explores the complexities of 'representation' in both art and politics. -
Metal Skin and the Cinema of Noise
2000
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , September-October no. 9 2000; 'An attempt to put a lid on the disturbing sounds and images of Geoffrey Wright's Metal Skin.' (Editor's abstract)
-
Metal Skin
2012
single work
essay
— Appears in: World Film Locations : Melbourne 2012; (p. 84-95)
- Altona, Melbourne - West, Melbourne, Victoria,