Playing for Charlie (ATOM Study Guide)

Sixteen-year-old Tony Hobbs shoulders enormous responsibility caring for his baby brother, Charlie, while his mother works night shifts at a telemarketing call centre. Tony is a gifted athlete who is given the chance of a lifetime when he is invited to try out for the State Schoolboys rugby team, a potential springboard for a lucrative career and a better life for his family.

Tony's mother, Paula, suffers from multiple sclerosis along with deep-seated grief after the loss of her husband. Paula is caught like a rat in a trap, trying to keep her family fed and housed. She is too afraid and exhausted to consider for a moment that there might be another way out of their troubles.

Lurking at the edge of this family is Scarf, Tony's recently discovered half brother. A lost soul desperate for family connections, Scarf empathises with Tony's dilemma and lures him into committing a crime to get the money Tony needs to pursue his dream. This decision could hold tragic consequences for both Scarf and Tony.

Curriculum guidelines

Playing for Charlie would be enjoyed by middle and senior secondary students in the following study areas: English, Health and Physical Education (and related subjects), and Values Education. In exploring ideas about families and responsibilities, it would be a good film to include in a work unit dealing with family values. The film explores aspects of a mother/son relationship where, because of difficult circumstances including the demands of single parenting, neither mother nor son are able to clearly delineate their roles and responsibilities or express their needs to each other. The film offers a sensitive perspective on what it means to be a young man growing up without adequate male role models.