Easily labelled as simply a road-trip movie, coming-of-age film, or slice-of-life; Beneath Clouds is an unexpectedly complex story, which depicts the journey of Lena and Vaughn, two Australian teenagers of aboriginal descent, making their way to Sydney. Light-skinned Lena is able to pass as white, whereas escaped juvenile convict Vaughn is preceded by his heritage, and the prejudice that comes with it, wherever he goes. Director Ivan Sen manages to share an intimate look at the two leads without actually letting the audience get too close.
The two main characters are different in many ways, allowing the film to explore issues of gender, race, and poverty through the lens of their experiences. One thing they do have in common, however, is their stoicism. Both of these characters maintain a hardened demeanor throughout most of the film. Dannielle Hall, who plays Lena, is particularly subtle, making the glimpses into her emotions all the more effective. Vaughn, played by Damian Pitt, does lash out a few times, quickly becoming defensive and threatening violence when challenged, but it is clear that this behaviour hints at a deeper vulnerability which he is unwilling to confront. It isn't until the end of the film that we really get to see Lena and Vaughn express their feelings, when they must come to terms their respective journeys playing out much differently than they had imagined.
There is a bluntness to their candor that cuts through niceties and allows Lena and Vaughn to connect using plain, often crude language. Although they are both quick to pass judgment on one another, they also surprise each other with their motivations. Lena doesn't hesitate to call Vaughn a "' loser" and tells him he'll end up "like the rest of 'em" until he tells her that this is his only chance to visit his sick mom. Seemingly not one for apologies, Lena doesn't respond to this information, but softens her oppositional attitude toward Vaughn.
For the majority of the film, Lena and Vaughn are hitchhiking their way to Sydney, following the highway across vast stretches of plains under the open sky. Wide shots show off the landscape, poignantly expressing both the isolation of rural life, and the promise of possibility that lies beyond. Beneath Clouds is firmly set in the Australian countryside, but the references and colloquialisms only further serve the universality of their story, and how it could just as easily take place in the Canadian prairies, or any number of places.
This movie deals with socio-economic struggles, racial discrimination, sexist behaviour, and themes of violence and abuse, but at its core, Beneath Clouds is a story of longing to escape the conditions we are born into, and to search for meaning, connection, and a feeling of belonging.
Lena and Vaughn will likely continue this struggle long after we part with them, but at least we leave them knowing they were able to find that connection and understanding, however briefly, in each other.
Review of Beneath Clouds
