Screen Trek - A Film Review Site

Tomorrow When the War Began is the title of a
seven book series written by John Marsden,
the first of which has just been released
as a major Australian feature film.

Now that the book has been scripted
for the screen, by its director Stuart Beattie,
a decision had to be made, a decision that so far
Marsden has managed to dodge, or specifically
answer; who are the invaders?

While we still do not get a country of origin,
the film's production team had to make a decision,
what do the invaders look like?


Although mostly their faces are obscured by
helmet and shadow, it is unmistakeable that they
chose an Asian face, and then there is a scene
where we do hear a fragment of the invader's
language, it sounds Chinese. We also see a few
Caucasian enemy soldiers, as the forces are
labelled in the book as a "coalition", which seems
an interesting concept, and one that may be more
to do with obscuring the pointed finger, at our
currently biggest trading partner, China.

It does not make all that much sense to me, as
China has largely stayed within its own borders
for thousands of years, if one ignores Tibet that is...

I see the film in another way, it is a window for all
to gaze through, to try and sympathise and
understand what it is like to be usurped, to be
over run and over taken, to have your natural born
sense of personal and national sovereignty
stripped from you, and your world and your view
of humanity, changed forever.

This experience has happened to many of our
Asian neighbours, both by European occupation
and Asian, and then there is Australia, we too

have experienced this upheaval, but only the
Aboriginal people were on the receiving end of
brutal force.

Indeed, this film may well prove to be a litmus
test for prejudice and fears embedded and
occluded within the hearts of everyone in our
region. Let us hope that it proves to be productive,
in stimulating discussion about how we all should
behave and live within our borders.

I note with interest that the novels were dedicated
by the author, John Marsden, to the people of
Tibet, West Papua and Papua etc, all of whom
have been invaded.

Here is an exert from the ABC Q&A Show,
interesting viewing indeed!