Paul Barakat: A Propitious Moment

by Dov Kornits

On the surface, Kairos is a boxing drama, a genre that audiences are well accustomed to. Danny spends as much time as possible in his job as cleaner at the local boxing gym, with the owner/trainer, John, taking him under his wing. Danny watches the young fighters taken through their paces, spies on some of the politics behind the scenes, and when no one is looking, he shadowboxes, imagining himself in the ring winning the title fight.

Danny is played by Chris Bunton, who made such an impression in Down Under. Born with Down Syndrome, Bunton is actually a champion gymnast in real life, and some of that is captured in Kairos.

Down Syndrome makes Danny an outsider, someone with a disability, who everyone in the gym treats differently. Apart from the hardened John (played brilliantly by Jerome Pride), who breaks his own rules to allow Danny to train.

This life at the gym is contrasted with Danny’s social circle, made up of other young people who were also born with Down Syndrome, and his home life with his carer Jude (Deborah Jones). Danny wants to truly belong at the gym, and wrestles with his identity, pushing his special needs friends away, but after an unintentional accident, he slowly starts to come to terms with who he really is.

Such a three-dimensional arc is rarely afforded most characters, let alone one with special needs, which, along with its big heart, comedic moments and stylish cinematography (Bryan Coelho and Samuel Lancaster) and production design (Carla Barakat), makes Kairos one of the most original and impactful local films to come along in a long time.

We spoke with its writer/director Paul Barakat to get the full story.

Was disability a part of your life prior to making the film?

When I visited Lebanon as a child, I encountered a relative of mine who had brain damage as the result of a childhood accident. I remember how she was trying to communicate with me, and it was clear that she just wanted to join in on a game that some of the kids were playing. The community around us reacted towards her with discomfort and fear. I was confused by their reaction and also my own feelings about the situation. I think I’ve been trying to gain some clarity around that ever since I became a filmmaker. I think most people tend to fear that which they don’t understand. It also doesn’t help that there is a distinct lack of meaningful representation of people with intellectual disabilities on screen and in the media, so I wanted to try and change that.

What about boxing?

I’ve always admired the sport as a spectator, and I think boxing is such a powerful metaphor for life. I’m aware of the clichés inherent in that statement, but I’m also aware of the appeal that the sub-genre has to a broader audience. In Kairos, boxing is used as a framework surrounding the real story that’s going on, which is a coming of age journey that explores identity and ego. Our aim was to flip the audience’s expectations with some bold casting and story choices. I think the boxing world is such a contained and specific realm that always looks great in films, and it starkly contrasts the performance workshop scenes [which Danny participates in with his friends] both visually and tonally.

What are your inspirations as a filmmaker, and in particular with Kairos?

I think my own memories and dreams have always been a great source of my inspiration, so I’m naturally intrigued by films that explore those areas. Although Raging Bull is an obvious reference for the boxing aspects of the plot, I was also focusing on the mythic aspects of the story and for that, I drew some thematic inspiration from Bergman’s Persona, Cocteau’s Orpheus, as well as Tarkovsky’s The Mirror. These films have all had a profound effect on my life. Greek mythology and philosophy have also been keen interests of mine since high school, so I’m not surprised that some of those concepts have weaved their way into my work. I also made sure my film had some levity. Every time things got too serious, it was important that I created space for the humour of the situation to play out.

Can you discuss the casting of the film?

When I saw Chris Bunton steal every scene in Abe Forsythe’s Down Under a few years back, I knew I needed to try and cast him as Danny. I made some enquiries and the wonderful team at Bus Stop Films recommended that I seek out Ruckus, a disability-led performance group in Sydney’s inner west. To my delight, I found Chris at the workshop, along with some other talented actors who were born with Down Syndrome. I was so inspired by the group that I incorporated them into the film. Digby Webster is a great foil as the wily Sam, and Audrey O’Connor is sublime as Ellie. For the other key roles, I cast the net and auditioned many actors. I was fortunate to find Jerome Pride, who completely owned the role of John. I feel like I captured lightning in a bottle every time I see Chris and Jerome together on screen. The wonderful Deborah Jones was always the person I had in mind for Jude, and as for the other roles, I was so grateful to find a mix of talented seasoned professionals and young up-and-coming actors. I couldn’t be prouder of my cast.

Once cast, did the script change, and what sort of rehearsals did you have?

The script didn’t really change too much once I had my finalised the cast. I revised some moments to make space for Chris’ gymnastics achievements as part of his character’s backstory, but I wasn’t making a documentary or a docudrama – my aim was to demonstrate that I could cast an actor with a disability in a lead role who could take us on a compelling journey. We had minimal rehearsals – I like to explore a few key dramatic moments to ensure that my cast and I are on the same page and hitting the crucial beats, and then I tend to give it some space to ensure we have some spontaneity on set. We also had some physical rehearsals which focused on the boxing aspect of the film. Surprisingly, we didn’t deviate much from the script during the shoot (only a few scenes have some ad-libbed moments). It was a cast of consummate professionals and I made sure that everyone had the opportunity to be heard on set. It was truly a collaborative environment and I believe that’s the only way to generate satisfying results.

Why self-fund it?

Initially, it wasn’t a conscious decision to make a self-funded film. We did try to explore more traditional routes of funding, but it is quite a competitive game and not having a track record made it difficult to implement that strategy. As a first-time writer-director, with a first-time producer (my wife Carla), we soon realised we couldn’t tick all the boxes. We decided to take a punt and put our money where our mouths were. Fortunately, with some assistance from our family, we were able to put up 95 percent of the budget. In the end, we were also lucky to run a few campaigns through the Australian Cultural Fund and other crowdfunding platforms to help us over the line. Hopefully, now that we have a track record and a cinema release, the funding route might be easier for future projects.

What do you hope that audiences take away from the film?

Audiences rarely see characters with disabilities in complex and challenging roles, so I hope Kairos demonstrates what is possible when you provide a space for more inclusive storytelling and casting without feeling the need to reduce the story to a ‘message’ film or a public service announcement. I also hope that audiences see the universality of Danny’s story. We all struggle with ego, chasing acceptance or worrying about what other people think of us at one time or another. In a time where society tells us to be anything other than what we are, it’s important to recognise that the only acceptance we need in life is our own.

Kairos is in cinemas December 5, 2019