Once upon a Time in the West: Suburbia and Identity in Jason Raftopoulos' 'West of Sunshine'

The suburbs are the setting of choice for many a work of gritty Australian realism, frequently highlighting the relationship between place and class struggle. As sprawling cities like Melbourne grow and evolve in the face of migration and gentrification, argues Glenn Dunks, so, too, do the filmic stories that unfold there – as West of Sunshine demonstrates.

Additional keywords:
social realism, Damian Hill, debt, loan shark, intergenerational trauma, socio-economic disadvantage, Australian dream, Noise, Pawno, Spotswood, Death in Brunswick, The Big Steal, working class.