IDENTITY CRISIS

The film career
of Dan Wyllie is an example of how contemporary Australian films
are tossing out their image of snuggling koala bears and Crocodile
Dundee in favor of gritty reality or biting humor.



This weekend, as part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s film
series, "Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the ’90s,"
curated by Australian film critic Paul Byrnes, you can see two
of Wyllie’s films: "Romper Stomper" and "Chopper."




"Romper Stomper" is the controversial 1992 film that
launched Russell Crowe’s ("Gladiator") career with
his portrayal of the leader of a gang of neo-Nazis rampaging
through Melbourne.



Directed by Geoffrey Wright, "Romper Stomper" depicts
confrontations between the young, skinhead neo-Nazis and the
enclaves of Asian immigrants they menace. (The high energy film
about a band of unhappy, undirected youths recalls Stanley Kubrick’s
1971 film "A Clockwork Orange" and could be the Australian
precursor of the 1996 Scottish film "Trainspotting.")




Wyllie, 31, plays Cackles, one of Crowe’s clownish gang members,
providing welcome moments of lightheartedness, in between moments
of Crowe’s diabolically violent episodes.



"The subject matter – a gang of racist skinheads – gets
into some dark areas," Wyllie told GO Brooklyn in a phone
interview. "It was one of my first film jobs – a chance
to immerse myself completely in an imagined world. We all shaved
our heads – you felt like you were really part of method acting
at its finest," said Wyllie with a laugh.



"Romper Stomper" will be screened Oct. 27 at 2, 4:30,
6:50 and 9:10 pm.



On Oct. 28, BAM will screen Wyllie’s 2000 film, "Chopper,"
directed by Andrew Dominik. This bloody comedy about a criminal
maniac is inspired by the life of Mark "Chopper" Read,
now a best-selling author.



"’Chopper’ deals with our obsession with criminal paths
again," said Wyllie. "Australia is a pretty young country,
started up as a convict colony for the British."



He added that Australians offer up many folktales about their
early heroes and history, and Chopper’s story keeps to that tradition.




"Chopper spent 17 years in jail, and he started to write
a series of books," said Wyllie. "The lines between
fact and fiction are pretty blurred with this guy. He’s covered
in tattoos and scars, and he even cut his own ears off to get
out of prison at one stage." Wyllie plays Bluey, one of
Chopper’s cellmates in the first third of the film.



"Chopper" will be screened Sunday at 2, 4:30, 6:50
and 9:10 pm.



Wyllie has also played Muriel’s layabout brother, Perry, in the
hit satire with the ABBA soundtrack, "Muriel’s Wedding."
P.J. Hogan’s film follows Muriel (played by Toni Collette) and
her obsession with getting married – which spirals hilariously
out of control but is darkly mirrored by the demise of her parents’
ugly, dysfunctional marriage and the effect it has on her siblings.




Perhaps Australians really do have a distinctive sense of humor.



"It is a weird sense of humor," said Wyllie. "Maybe
because of the landscape – or the convict history."



Happily Brooklyn can take advantage of Australia’s refreshing
points of view – and pointed humor – at BAM Rose Cinemas this
weekend.



Movie tickets: $9, $6 students. BAM Rose Cinemas are located
at 30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Place. For more information,
call (718) 636-4100.