Last Confession of Alexander Pearce, The (ATOM Study Guide)

Introduction
In 1822, eight men escaped from the most isolated and brutal prison on earth, Sarah Island in Van Diemen's Land. Only one man survived and his tale of betrayal, murder and cannibalism shocked the British establishment to the core. The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce follows the final days of this man, Irish convict Alexander Pearce, as he awaits execution. The year is 1824 and the British penal colony of Van Diemen's Land is little more than a living hell. Chained to a wall in the darkness of a cell under Hobart Town Gaol, Pearce is visited by Father Conolly, the parish priest of the fledgling colony and a fellow Irishman. At stake in their uneasy dialogue is nothing less than the soul of man. Utilizing the stunning and foreboding landscape of south-west Tasmania, The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce draws a visceral and compelling picture of the savagery and barbarism at the heart of the colony. It is an example of Australian filmmaking at its very best.

Curriculum Links
This film should be compulsory viewing for every middle years and senior secondary Australian History student in the country. It is a brilliant piece of filmmaking on an exceptional and important story, and would sit well alongside The First Australians series recently screened on SBS.

It could also work in the context of Philosophy or Religious Studies, as it poses profound questions about the nature of good and evil, and redemption. It provides two intriguing character studies (Pearce and Conolly) and could be used in English (film as text); and, with the eloquence of its visual storytelling, it also has relevance to Film/Media Studies. Teachers are advised to view the film carefully before screening it for their classes: this is very dark and disturbing material, dealing with extremely violent aspects of Australian history. But given the gruesome nature of the tale, it is almost guaranteed to engage and intrigue even the most apathetic student!