Worth: $14.00
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Cast:
Isla Wakefield Roberts, Susan Phillips-Rees
Intro:
… plenty of great moments and, with Isla’s no-nonsense straight-talking manner, more than a few laughs.
Meet Isla Roberts. An 87-year-old, f-bombing great grandmother from rural South Australia who is living history. She’s also what some might describe as ‘a character’ – and a tough one at that.
During this documentary’s strongest scenes, Isla visits what’s left of the outback sheep station that was once her marital home. She hasn’t been there for 60 decades. A sign on the station says ‘Bascombe Well Ruins’. It looks like an archaeological site, with some walls of the farmhouse still standing, and the remnants of an old stove where Isla cooked the family’s dinners.
Isla is unsentimental as she tours the ruins. Her girlfriend, Susan, describes life at Bascombe Well as “Incredibly difficult” and as “early settler frontier”. She says Isla lived in poverty. “Can’t imagine living like that with four little kids,” says Susan. “No wonder she’s fairly stern about things.”
Isla is openly in a relationship with Susan but refuses to wear the lesbian label. Isla says she’s a “widow”. It drives Susan, who happily wears the label, insane. Isla is stubborn, independent and a horse carriage driving champion. She’s really quite amazing. The very articulate Susan is equally interesting, and her words fill in a lot of details about Isla’s life and how the couple got together.
Isla’s Way is somewhat of an uneven documentary. There are lulls – watching Isla do the grocery shopping, for example, doesn’t make for compelling viewing, but there are also plenty of great moments and, with Isla’s no-nonsense straight-talking manner, more than a few laughs.
Like the film itself, the soundtrack is mixed and veers from twee generic tones to very effective classical sounds. The cinematography, however, is sure footed and often beautiful with stunning aerial shots and plenty of outback beauty.
Film exec, producer turned director Marion Pilowsky’s documentary works on several levels – as a piece of Australian history, as an inspiring story about a remarkable octogenarian and – as Susan says early in the piece – an “antidote” to the invisibility to older women.
