MovieChat Forums > Mallboy (2001) Discussion > Was this film meant to be satire?

Was this film meant to be satire?


I'm not denying that this film was intended to prompt the audience to think about the marginalised segments of Australian society, and it did that for me. But at the same time I couldn't help but laugh at some of the characters' antics. I must admit that I found it amusing when Shaun's friend made a fool of himself yelling out offensive remarks at the models (which in fact egged everybody else on), when his sister is so uncivil as to have that confontation with the cashier whom she abuses with a plethora of obscenities, when all the different characters repetatively said 'giveusakiss' at his father's welcome-back party where all the adults then performed that ridiculous dance to that song. I found it amusing for the reason that I'm used to thinking that most people normally don't behave like that. But at the same time I also found it amusing because there is after all, at least some truth to it; the characters reminded me of the couples I occasionally see on public transport who dress like they've just been to a KISS concert and tend to swear and scream at each other as though they are unaware that they are in a public place.

Did Vincent Giarusso intend for these scenes to be amusing or am I just trivialising what was strictly meant to be a serious statement about this kind of people?

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