The Fringe Dwellers (1986)

76% of users liked it
(103 ratings)

Bruce Beresford returned to the austerity of his first Australian films with The Fringe Dwellers. Kristina Nehm stars as an Aborigine woman named Trilby, who along with her tribespeople lives on the fringes of "accepted" Australian society. Trilby's mother (Justine Saunders) urges her family to… More Bruce Beresford returned to the austerity of his first Australian films with The Fringe Dwellers. Kristina Nehm stars as an Aborigine woman named Trilby, who along with her tribespeople lives on the fringes of "accepted" Australian society. Trilby's mother (Justine Saunders) urges her family to remove themselves from squalor and move up to a fashionable all-white suburb. What with the snobbery of her new neighbors and an onslaught of visiting relatives, Trilby never has a moment of happiness. She seeks solace in the arms of her boyfriend (Ernie Dingo), but this only results in an unwanted pregnancy. Her "escape" to a better life is an indirect result of her newborn child's death. Bruce and Rhoisin Beresford adapted the script of The Fringe Dwellers from the novel by Nene Gare. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Bruce Beresford
Written By: Bruce Beresford, Rhoisin Beresford
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Oct 1, 1986 Wide
Studio: Atlantic Releasing Corporation

Critic Reviews

Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
One of the few Australian films selected for Competition at Cannes (1986), Bruce Beresford's adaptation of the novel is a milestone for Australian cinema.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A sensitive cross-cultural study about an aboriginal family in Australia.

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Cast

            Ktistina Nehm as Trilby Comeaway

            Justine Saunders as Mollie Comeaway

            Bob Maza as Joe Comeaway

            Kylie Belling as Noonah Comeaway

            Denis Walker as Bartie Comeaway

            Ernie Dingo as Phil

            Malcolm Silva as Charlie

            Marlene Bell as Hannah

            Michelle Torres as Audrena

            Michele Miles as Blanchie

            Kathryn Walker as Eva

            Bill Sandy as Skippy

            Maureen Watson as Rene

            Robert Ugle as Tim

            Alan Dargin as Bruce

            Terry Thompson as Horrie

            Annie Saward as May

            Wilkie Collins as Dr. Symons

            David Clendenning as Headmaster

            Wilf Campagnoni as Bert

            Dianne Eden as Matron

            Gabrielle Lambrose as Mrs. Henwood

            Sandra Lehane as Nurse Creswell

            Theresa Stafford as Schoolgirl

            Lisa-Jane Stockwell as Nurse McCarthy

            Leo Wockner as Stockman

            Noanie Wood as Miss Simmons
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