Accidents Happen (Black comedy)

I was so excited about this film, I even got us preview tickets to the Academy where Geena Davis was going to be making an appearance for a Q&A session after the film. Anyone who didn’t already find Geena Davis adorable would definitely have done so after the Q&A session. She was smart, sassy, funny and self deprecating in a very Aussie way that Americans often find hard to pull off. But apart from the Q&A session serving to revive my 90’s girl crush, I was left feeling a bit disappointed by the film. And I really wanted to love this film. It had all the right ingredients – it was quirky, full of drama, full of Geena Davis, a film about families and dealing with grief – and while I quite liked it, it just didn’t steal my heart.

‘Accidents Happen’ is a film about dysfunctional families, and the Conway family is particularly dysfunctional. After a brief introductory scene, the film cuts to life for the Conways following a tragic car accident that has lead to the death of one child and the permanent hospitalisation of another. Not surprisingly, the ramifications of the ‘accident’ on the family have been significant. And 15 year old Billy Conway seems to be the only sane one left in the family - until even he starts acting out....

Aside from Geena Davis starring as Gloria Conway, most of the other actors in ‘Accidents Happen’ are relatively unknown, particularly the younger stars who all gave standout performances in this film including Harrison Gilbertson (Billy), Harry Cook (Larry), and Joel Tobeck as the father Ray.

But despite the stellar performances, I didn’t love this film because I never got to the point where I emotionally bought in to the characters. In reflecting on this after the film, I think there were a few reasons: firstly the film is narrated (and I’m never quite sure how I feel about narrators to begin with) but in this case I think it had the effect of making one feel a bit disconnected from the characters. Secondly, I found the mix of tragedy and comedy a bit hard to swallow. Whilst I understand that this is exactly the definition of a ‘black comedy’(!), it was almost like the comedy and the tragedy were too extreme because at its heart, the story is incredibly tragic and so the comedy sometimes feels a bit forced (especially Gloria’s sharp one liners). Right from the opening scene my emotions were a bit confused as I watched Billy’s elderly neighbour accidentally incinerate himself while Billy danced around the sprinkler and the entire audience laughed out loud while Billy mused that “Despite overwhelming stupidity, his death certificate will say ‘Accident’”.

This balance between accident and stupidity is explored cleverly throughout ‘Accidents Happen’. In fact, the film is about life being full of accidents, minor ones and catastrophic ones that can change the course of your life. It made me think about people close to me who’ve experienced tragic “accidents”. And whilst I feel terrible even thinking about it, the honest truth is: if stupidity hadn’t been involved, it might’ve saved them and their loved ones a whole world of pain. It made me wonder if anything is truly an accident or if it’s just a way we make ourselves feel better about a tragic outcome? The American Senator Joe Lieberman was recently quoted in an interview about the massive oil spill off the coast of Florida as he was defending off shore drilling – “I mean, accidents happen..”. Sorry, Mr Senator did you mean to say ‘accidents’ or ‘stupidity’ happens? I’m sure you’ve all experienced similar examples? And this is essentially what makes Gloria Conway so bitter and angry: that her life has been irreparably damaged at best – by a tragic accident, or at worst - by someone else’s stupidity.

But then at the same time, the film also leaves you feeling as though, stupid or not, you are bound to be affected by an accident sooner or later because the world is just a dangerous place. And the fact that all this danger lurks in places like Connecticut - full of manicured lawns, bingo halls, and sunny days - is particularly disconcerting. As the narrator says: “Common sense is never enough to keep you safe my friends, because the world is quite simply dangerous”.

So in closing, this isn’t a film you should see by accident. It’s dark and it’s heavy, and it leaves you feeling a little bit fearful about crossing the road to get back to your car after the movie. Nevertheless, it’s a unique and thought provoking script, there are some good laughs to be had along the way (as long as you don’t feel too bad about laughing while someone accidentally burns themselves to death), and there are many beautifully deliberate sets. And the amazing performances by Geena Davis and Harrison Gilbertson are definitely no accident.

• 'Accidents Happen' is written by Andrew Lancaster, an Australian director who is already an acclaimed short film director, and is his feature lengthdirectorial debut.
• The is set in Connecticut, USA but directed, written and shot by Australians - in fact, it was filmed in St Ives, Sydney, Australia
• When Geena was questioned about why she aggreed to do the film with a virtual unknown in the feature length word, she said that after Andrew had sent her the script and agreed to meet in LA - she was blown away by how enthusiastic he was and what a vision he had for the sets and the wardrobe - that she agreed on the spot!