Little Tornadoes (2021) Movie Script

1
You never heard
the voices of women
or of children.
It is that silence
that still scares me.
St Kilda are preparing
for their first grand
final in five years
since last winning the trophy in '66.
Both Hawthorn and St Kilda...
The words I have to say
May well be simple
but they're true
Until you give your love
There's nothing more
that we can do
Love is the opening door
Love is what we came here for
No-one could offer you more
Do you know what I mean?
Have your eyes really seen?
Camille? You home?
Did you do it?
Did you ask him?
You were never gonna
ask him, were you?
You'll never leave this fucking town.
We can't stay here.
Let's... go.
Just get in the car, go to Melbourne.
We'll put the kids in the car.
We'll just go.
Please.
- Rah!
- Hello.
- Dad, he's got a snail.
- Jack, Jack, that's enough.
Sorry Joan.
Camille, she had an appointment
late notice.
- Oh, of course.
- You, in now.
You guys haven't been
causing Mrs Baker any trouble?
- Well, he started it.
- Did he? What did he do?
- Ah, Leo.
- Give me one second, Joan.
One sec.
How was footy today?
- Good.
- Good to hear.
- Leo. Ah, Leo.
- Yes?
Just so you know, uh,
Richie and I are going
to be going up north.
We're taking the
caravan up to Cairns.
- Ow!
- Just the two of us.
And all the bloody mozzies.
- You, pipe down.
- What?
- Leo.
- Yeah?
You'd better tell
Camille so, you know
just in case there are
any more... emergencies.
Ah. Will do.
- Ok, love.
- Rightio, Joan.
- Say, "Thanks, Mrs Baker."
- Thanks, Mrs Baker.
- Bye-bye.
- Rightio.
Oh, come on, Sally.
If she's there,
can you just put her on?
Well, she just took off.
Nah.
What do you mean ask my dad, Sally?
What's that gonna do?
Have you met him?
Alright. No, I'll go,
I'll go and see him.
Great idea.
Yeah, no, I'll go out and...
Fat lot of good that'll do.
Yeah.
Just let me know
if she's alright, okay?
Just let me know if she's okay.
Your house seemed
enormous to me.
All houses in this new
country seemed enormous.
All that space outside,
all that space inside.
You didn't see it that way.
You once said to me that your
wife wanted a bigger house.
That it was too small
for a family of four.
When is Mum coming back?
Oh, not today, sweetie.
Mum's gone down
to Melbourne for a bit
to say hello to Aunt Sally.
She didn't even say bye.
Jack, do you want the vegemite?
I'll have cheese.
Okay. Righto.
- Dad!
- Yeah?
The oven.
Hey!
It's burnt, Maudey.
I don't care, I'll still eat it.
It wasn't your house
that was too small for her.
She had taken everything
with her to Melbourne
except for that one red dress
and the lipstick left on top of
your bedroom drawer.
Righto. See you, love.
Be good.
I don't want that. You have it.
Your smell was all over that house.
Men's scent is so harsh
it almost hurts to breathe it in.
What's that? What did
you say about my sister?
Oh... lucky
my sister
good cook.
Mm.
Well, these aren't so bad.
Tell me, I want to know.
- What's going on?
- Fucking tell me!
You keep your fucking
mouth shut, okay?
What the fuck are you
looking at, wog?
Jesus!
War fucked up his head I think.
He should have
stayed in the army.
Get off!
Jack, just kick it to me!
Beautiful dreamer
Wake unto me
Starlight and dewdrops
are waiting for thee...
Fucken'...
The unprecedented
scenes saw police
and protesters clash
violently in Sydney.
As the war progresses,
there is increasing pressure
from protestors and lobby groups
to fully and completely remove
all Australian troops
who are currently
fighting in Vietnam.
Prime Minister McMahon
says that his government
is working to reduce
Australia's commitment
to the war.
The ANZ bank will increase
cheque account charges
from next Wednesday.
Over a full year
the fees will rise
by an average of 20%
but the bank said
concessions would be available
to most customers.
One thing about Rose
he's certainly a credit to
himself in the ring tonight
because his last four rounds
have been the hardest for him
and have been his best rounds.
Are you gonna harvest soon, Dad?
Yep.
Thought you might like to
come round for dinner, Dad.
Come and see the kids.
They miss ya.
They're asking after ya.
"How's Poppy Jim?"
Rose desperate
to get back into action
'cause he knows the seconds
are running out.
Yeah, I'll start next
week, I reckon.
He swings at Numata.
That's the bell.
Might be as good as last year,
you never know.
Stand by for the result now.
The judge is checking
the score sheet.
And the winner is... Numata.
There's
no colour in the rainbow
That my girl can't see
Red lips
A red heart
Red skies when we're apart
There's no colour
in the rainbow...
Your father was of the land.
You were different.
The land didn't speak to you.
That is a bond you and I shared
even though we never
spoke about it.
Why did you stay, Leo?
How could you not
want to escape?
Tony always said,
"It's because he's loyal."
And I used to snap back:
We left our country,
our family, our language.
We sailed to the other side
of the world.
He's a coward.
Looking back,
you loved this world.
It was your home.
You see,
I hear a lot of men say now
"This has brought unrest
into my household.
My wife was happy before
because she realised
that while the children were
little she had to stay at home
because we both think, you know,
children need the
mother and so forth."
Well I think
what men mistake for happiness
was, in fact, resignation
and... and patience
and now women are
beginning to feel
that patience is not the answer.
Have you read Germaine Greer's book
- The Female Eunuch?
- No.
- Do you want to read it?
- No.
- Yes, I wouldn't mind reading it.
- Oh, I think so.
What's it about?
A lot of young women
are very conscious of
women's liberation as an issue.
These senior girls have read
The Female Eunuch.
They are conditioning us
to take the place of, say,
the average housewife.
I mean, as we're brought up,
we play with the dolls.
I mean, it's all a type
of bringing the idea
that a woman's place
is to rear children,
to be a housewife.
She's not going to really
have a career of her own
or anything like that.
Have you all been talking
and thinking a lot more about
the ideas of women's liberation
or simply about the way
that women might live
slightly differently
since Germaine Greer came here?
Yes.
- It's a butterfly.
- Yeah.
But don't touch its wings.
I reckon I can see one.
Aww, cute.
Can I touch it?
Oi.
Daddy, where have you been?
I'm hungry.
Well come on in, then,
we'll get you some dinner.
Come on, Jack.
Ah Jack, you duffer.
Come here.
Let me look at ya.
You alright? Be careful, mate.
Alright. Who wants some
baked beans, eh?
- Dad, not again!
- You don't want baked beans?
What do baked beans make you do?
Fart.
He said fart!
Stop it, Jack.
Hey!
Lie down.
Well, you're her sister, Sally.
Maybe just... Maybe just a bit
of communication would be nice.
Yep.
How do you think they are?
Yeah.
Ah, okay.
Well nah, I went and saw Dad.
I just want to know
why she left.
Aww fuck that hurt!
I'm alright.
Righto.
How's your dad?
Haven't seen him for a while.
If Dad isn't farming
I don't know what he'd do.
Well say g'day to him
for me when you see him.
See you, Jim.
My sister.
She...
...can help you...
...with your bambini...
er, children.
She need work.
You can help her...
maybe.
Beautiful dreamer
Wake unto me
Starlight and dewdrops
Are waiting for thee
Sounds of the rude world
Heard in the day
Lulled by the moonlight
Have all passed away
Beautiful dreamer
Queen of my soul
List while I woo thee
With soft melody
Gone are the cares...
Come on, possum!
Maudey!
- Dad.
- Yeah.
Why are you driving us
to school today?
Dad's got a very important
meeting today, sweetie.
Beautiful dreamer
Awake unto me
- Maria?
- Yes?
Ah, Leo.
- I work with...
- Tony.
Yeah.
Just nights?
Yeah.
And your wife?
Um... she's away for a bit.
My brother, he say you have
lunch together.
Yeah.
He say you cannot cook.
Nah.
No.
I finish here at three o'clock.
Start today, yes?
Today, yeah.
Yeah, no... Oh, yeah, no,
that'd be great, um...
I've just got to pop back
to work.
- I'll pick you up here at...
- Three is good.
Three is good.
Three?
Great. Thank you.
Um, see you at three.
Righto.
The men don't talk
here. That isn't strange.
Men are like that everywhere.
My father never
talked much either.
You stink!
You stink the loudest!
- Why'd you do it?
- I didn't fart.
Yes you did.
Jack. Maudey.
This is Maria.
She's going to be here
after school from now on.
When's Mummy coming back?
Back soon, sweetie.
But this is a good thing, right?
Maria, she's gonna cook us
a proper dinner every night.
Jack.
Do you cook?
A good man should know
how to cook.
Anyway, I'll just
head out for a bit.
- I'll be home soon.
- We'll be fine.
Won't we, Jack?
See you, squirt.
You don't know this...
but sometimes, once I had
kissed the children goodnight
I would sit in that
uncomfortable chair.
I would look around
imagine myself in my own kitchen
with my own family.
And in sporting news, young
drivers Peter Brock and Allan Moffat
will continue their rivalry at
Mount Panorama when the
Hardie Ferodo 500 takes place
in Bathurst next month.
Fans will be keen to see
if Brock's Holden Torana,
introduced at last year's race,
can compensate for the
power advantage that Moffat's Falcon
has had on the Bathurst straights.
And in regional news, Wimbledon
and French Open Champion,
Evonne Goolagong, will return
to her hometown of Barellan.
Mummy?
Leo. Leo...
I feel like I'm dying.
...maratime patrol aircraft
for more than $150 million.
Opposition leader Gough Whitlam
spoke in parliament today about
his meeting in July with
Chinese premiere, Zhou Enlai.
Want a ride up, Dad?
Okay, good. Brava.
Wind, wind.
More, more, more.
Okay, good.
What are we making?
Cannelloni.
Cal - la...
Cannelloni.
Daddy, we're making pasta.
Cannelloni.
Cal - ne - noni.
- Can - le...
- Cannelloni.
Jack, can you say cannelloni?
- Cannelloni.
Good. Brava, brava. Well done.
Enjoy!
One day, I came to the factory
to drop off food for Tony.
He had been in such
a hurry to leave
that he had forgotten his lunch.
I stood outside,
fearful of coming inside.
I was scared of how those men
used to look at me.
I touched my wedding ring.
A Mexican
woodpecker high in a tree...
Maudey.
Night-night, Maudey.
Leo. You been fairly busy?
Yeah.
Your missus got you tied up?
Yeah.
Yeah, Camille, she's, ah...
She's down in Melbourne
visiting her sister.
Well maybe when she gets back
we'll head down the pub
and have a few beers.
Yeah. That'd be great.
- Alright.
- So long as Tony here can join us.
Yeah, righto.
Ah... maybe later, then.
Righto. Yeah.
From my first day
in this country,
from the moment my feet
left the ship
I discarded my widow's black.
I did not want
to be old and drab.
Yet I loved going
with you and Tony
to watch Jack play
and I always made sure to wear
a beautiful dress,
to do my hair.
I'm Italian and I'm proud of it.
We are the Navy Blues
We are the old dark
Navy Blues
It's such a stupid song!
What do you see out the window?
Nothin' much.
Nothin' much?
Trees.
Any 'roos?
Yeah.
Is that a cow over there?
Is it a cow or a bull?
- Out there?
- Yeah.
That's a cow.
How can you tell?
Because it's smaller
than a bull.
Daddy.
Why aren't you a farmer
like Poppy?
Ah, that's Poppy's world, mate.
Not mine.
Hi, Poppy Jim.
Hey, young fella.
What have you been up to?
How's school going?
School's boring
but I like footy, though.
Daddy said you went to war.
Where did you go?
A few places.
- Daddy.
- Yeah?
Are you going to go to war too?
Nah, mate. I'm gonna stick
around and look after you.
Got you your part, Dad.
Are you gonna help me
put this in?
Okay.
I also got you some pasta
to try as well, Pop.
I don't really eat this stuff,
you know.
Yeah well, all the same.
Jack, why don't you run
and grab that
and put that in Poppy Jim's
fridge, eh?
Ah, good man.
Camille's gone, Dad.
What, so she just...
just up and left, eh?
Yeah.
I don't think she's
coming back this time.
Anyway Jack, he's been
a bit quiet since she's gone,
so I thought, you know,
it might be nice for him to...
come up and spend
some time with you.
I'm not gonna eat
that stuff, you know.
Nah... don't eat it.
Jesus Christ, Dad.
What do you want?
You just don't say anything,
do you?
You've got your stuff.
But I just don't want you to
keep on ignoring them.
Not this time.
Do you hear me, Dad?
Daddy.
You were terribly sad that night
but your house felt lighter.
Some of the heaviness was gone.
I stopped feeling like
a stranger in your house.
One day I came over
and her soap and her
hairbrushes in the bathroom
had been put away.
Her lipstick was also gone.
I wonder if you ever told
your wife she was beautiful.
What's that for?
Crostoli.
- Can you say 'crostoli'?
Cros - ly.
Cro - crostoli. Crostoli.
- Crostly.
Glittering on the sea...
Good.
Okay, roll, like this.
Prosperous is the wind
Glittering on the sea
Good.
Placid is the wave
Prosperous is the wind
It keeps falling apart.
That's okay. Like this.
Santa...
The Victorian Farmers
Union says 4 million gallons of milk
will have to be poured away
if a planned strike by butter
factory workers goes ahead.
Members of the Cold Storage
Workers union
are seeking a $20
a week pay rise
and higher allowances
and say if this is not granted
by next Monday
they'll strike for
at least 24 hours.
In Melbourne today,
marchers took to
key city streets
to protest the war in Vietnam.
The marchers have
headed up Spring Street
turned the corner
at Parliament House
and the head of the line is now
coming down Bourke Street
towards the General Post Office.
May I ask you
one simple question?
Your main and only
reason for coming today.
To protest, with the
rest of Melbourne, here.
What are you protesting about?
I'm protesting about the war.
I think the war in
Vietnam is becoming progressively
and more obviously evil
and I'm here to protest it.
Will you be going
with this great throng
down into the heart of the city?
Certainly.
"We're gonna visit
Grandma's grave.
Why don't you come too, Maria?"
"Yeah, come with us."
and the
cloth was black and filthy
and you were all looking at me.
But I didn't want to
turn around.
I didn't want you
to see my tears.
"On the third day,
the frogs found themselves
a new home."
Good.
"It is a new world,
the grass is green,
and there are little plants
for me to eat.
'I will... I will stay here.'
So there for a few weeks
he stayed."
Jack, go rinse your mouth out.
"'Won't they get cold?'
asked the little girl.
'The frogs have special skin, '
replied her mother.
The little girl sm... sm..."
Smiled.
I know, Daddy.
We should read the rest
tomorrow, eh?
Yeah.
Goodnight, sweetie.
When's Mummy coming back?
I really want to talk to her,
Daddy.
Mum's not coming back, is she?
Bedtime.
Goodnight, sweetie.
'Night, Dad.
You - lie down.
Sally, if she's not there
then she's gonna ring you.
Yeah.
So you haven't heard?
Yeah.
Look, Sally, this is getting
a bit silly, don't you think?
I mean, we're grown people,
we can talk.
Okay.
Yep.
Ah, you fucken'...
Not you. Hang on.
You there?
Look, Sally...
it's really important
that she calls the kids.
You have something
others don't have.
I don't underst -
You have two beautiful children.
I don't understand ya -
You have a family.
Listen. Listen to me!
I don't have what you have.
You have children.
They have you.
- Leo.
- Yeah?
You... you want play this?
Pool?
You want to play pool?
Yes.
Yeah, we can play pool, mate.
I am pretty good.
You're Good? Yeah, we'll see.
Tell me, white dove
Where will I find
the olive tree?
For just one branch
I'd search my whole
life through
I've heard them say
A greener land
is waiting there
Where people wake and find
their dreams come true
High-flying dove
Please lead me
And I'll follow you
Above the clouds
Beyond the stormy sea
I long to share
A world of sweet
contentment there
In that bright land
Where grows the olive tree
In that bright land
Where grows the olive tree
I'll get it!
Hello?
Okay.
Mummy?
You need to find courage.
Just do... what you do.
Just do what you do.
Just do what you do.
Kids asleep?
Mm-hm.
Maria.
I just wanted to say
how wonderful... it's been...
having you here, for the kids.
I wasn't embarrassed, Leo.
I was exhilarated
that you saw me.
Just to experience
those feelings again.
I should have told
you that I wasn't angry.
I should have explained.
Mum called last night.
Come on, Jack. Let's go.
You had picked up
the children from their mother's
and they leapt out of the car.
You were still parking it.
They flung themselves on me.
"Maria, Maria!"
Then you stepped out of the car
and hugged me.
You smelt of cigarettes
and chips.
And you whispered to me,
"This is the first time
I've been in a church
in bloody ages."
It's okay. God is patient.
You laughed and laughed.
Do you want Poppy
to walk you to school?