At a pub in the remote mining town of Coolgardie a revolving door of barmaids provide entertainment for the mostly male patrons. It tries to find something profound in the story of two Finnish backpackers pulling beers in a remote pub in Western Australia. They delved deep into the Australian outback on the hunt for a job and they landed in a mining town called Coolgardie, a small dot on the map about 550km east of Perth, with a population of about . David Stratton, JAW-DROPPING one of the most CONFRONTING and COMPELLING History. Top hotels in Kambalda West. Get The New Daily free every morning and evening. 3 out of 5. mcu CANMAN AT BAR. captivates from INTRIGUING start to BITTERSWEET end Slug Magazine, Gleeson weaves in a SLY SENSE OF HUMOUR Racism got a whole new meaning for me in Coolgardie, Lina recalls, speaking over the phone from her home in Finland. It was his first time at the Kalgoorlie cinema, and he was one of a number of Coolgardie locals who made the 40 kilometre trip. The relationship between backpackers and the Australian outback is a popular subject for fictional horror film, but according to new documentaryHotelCoolgardiethe reality is almostas disturbing. But others display a concerning attitude towardswomen, with one patron complaining b***hes dont like me and suggesting killing them as a solution to his lady problems. Previous experience in pubs is not required. Or dumb as a horse: Lina serves customers at Hotel Coolgardie. Stay at this 3-star motel in Coolgardie. Hotel Coolgardie and the problem with sending barmaids to remote mining towns, Lina and Stephie, the two Finnish backpackers followed in. Source: Hot Docs. RIVETING REMARKABLE holds you right to the very end Auctioneers bawled from their rostrums set up in the open. "Not quite sure what to expect," said one Coolgardie local who drove to nearby Kalgoorlie for the local premiere on Wednesday. Australia was always on the top list of places to visit, Lina explains. Two Finnish backpackers find themselves under siege when they take jobs behind the bar in this Western Australia mining-town pub. Pete Gleeson) shows at Event Cinemas George Street, Friday June 10, as part of Sydney Film Festival 2016. The real heroes of the film are Lina and Steph, who display a stoicism despite being thousands of miles from home in a hostile environment with few allies and, for Lina, very serious health struggles. The characters we meet at the titular watering hole are fair dinkum. When Finnish backpackers Lina and Stephie decided to head to Australia for the trip of a lifetime its not quite where they expectedto end up. We didnt even notice after the first day or two that we had a film crew surrounding us all the time., However, despite how tough their time in Coolgardie might have been, in retrospect Lina can see the lighter side of it. Hotel Coolgardie is one of the most captivating Australian documentaries in recent memory. But unlike the dirt-baked 1971 masterpiece, Coolgardie residents depicted in the film can hardly be relegated to the realms of fiction. Hotel Coolgardie trailer: watch an outback Australian nightmare unfold Guardian Director Pete Gleeson's documentary, Hotel Coolgardie, explores what happens when two 20-something Finnish. Or maybe they are scared of being hurt? aybe we should have some sort of competition jelly wrestling or wet T-shirt, one patron suggests, referring tothe new arrivals and their predecessors. The new manager has said the practice no longer happens at the Denver City Hotel and that the documentary was filmed several years ago. "Harangued by their new boss, relentlessly pursued and pilloried by booze-addle patrons and prey to madness and malaise of an environment as claustrophobic as it is isolated," read the synopsis of the film at the time. In terms of unwanted advances, theres plenty more where that came from. The man behind a new documentary claiming to expose the dark side of life at a Goldfields hotel has defend his film from local criticism. At its peak "It swarmed with diggers and speculators when the teams arrived. It did feel like we were being objectified. Describing what goes on in the hotel over the course of the documentary as wrong might even be an understatement. Upon their arrival the Finns are described as out of the packet by the hotel manager, who declares his customers grow a new leg when fresh meat comes to town. DESCRIPTION. During their time at the pub, Steph and Linaare accosted by men propositioning them, promising sex that will be very bad but very quick, andturning up unannounced in their rooms, often refusing to leave. Its bad vibes, mixed with really bad luck, mixed with bad circumstances., Though she felt a wide array of emotions while watching the film for the first time, more than anything she found herself laughing a response that audiences will no doubt share when the doco screens at Sydney Film Festival. The film not only captures the experience of the two female backpackers at the centre of the story, but in scenes fuelled by alcoholic candour, it touches on an underlying sense of depression and loneliness among local men. They grow a leg when theres new girls in town, the owner proudly saysof his patrons amidshots of rough-and-ready blokes gazing lasciviously at what they clearly regard asfresh meat. Or [maybe] they dont even know theyre being sexist maybe they think thats just the way things are? Among Gleesons inspirations are the documentaries of American film-maker Frederick Wiseman, who is known for a fly-on-the-wall style. In Gleeson's view, the men were willing to expose sexist, aggressive behaviour to the camera because it was seen as normal. They experience Australian culture, thats for sure. Fresh off the plane and lured by the promise of an authentic outback experience, Finnish travellers Lina and Steph find themselves en r See production, box office & company info, Fly on the wall documentary shows real life in Australia's outback and how it exploits backpacking labour, Denver City Hotel, Coolgardie, Western Australia, Australia. Coolgardie itself is now more famous for it's annual Coolgardie Day, which attracted a crowd of more than 10,000 people last September. Gleeson said he had told the story of "outsiders" trapped in a difficult situation. "You eat seals and shit, don't you?" Many of the guys in the film have a few conflicts or elements of their past that theyre still trying to come to terms with and that comes out in how they relate to other people. While Gleeson tries his hardest to get us to look beyond the troublingattitudes and pronouncements of the town's populace, it's hard not to feel somewhat unclean after spending 80 minutes in their company. '[We] didn't want to lose the job, because we needed the money. Your boss berates you from across the bar, and describes you as "fresh meat", laughing along with the leering men. About 4.0 Very good 25 reviews #1 of 3 B&Bs / Inns in Coolgardie Location Cleanliness Service Value Hotel, Accommodation & Meals are available from the Oldest Licenced hotel in the goldfields. Later he briefly worked in Coolgardie as laborer while studying film, and struck up a relationship with the pub's owner. It felt like we were being objectified, rather than being valued for who we were outside of just being women. Khaleda Rahman For Daily Mail Australia Finnish backpackers Steph and Lina's task is made even harder by both cultural and language barriers and the success of their predecessors. 4.0. Critics Consensus 93% HD; Documentary; 1 Hour 23 Minutes 2017; 5.0 1 Rating; Downtown Coolgardie, where the flies are very friendly. Top hotels in Widgiemooltha. Speaking to Jasmine Bamford on ABC Goldfields-Esperance Mornings, Gleeson said he had expected the film to "ruffle feathers". Set deep in Australias harsh interior, Hotel Coolgardie is a sometimes amusing, sometimes appalling, We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Don Hyland founded the Workstay organisation in 1986, and in 2001 opened a Perth office that ran what became to be known as the Country Pub Workstay program for four years. Phil Thompson on Google (August 21, 2019, 5:02 am) Stopped here for some lunch, we had roast chicken and gravy rolls and a huge serve of wedges. 'So we had to bite out tongues and be nice and polite, then cry behind closed doors. He reminded people that it was a film and by that very nature, it was only able to capture a limited perspective. per night. Maybe they are showing off? she guesses. 863 were here. They had been robbed in Bali, so needed/wanted to earn enough money to buy a car and drive around Australia. You don't have your own car and are relying on the same locals who've made you fear for your safety in the pub in order to go anywhere else. Director Pete Gleeson is surprisinglyuncritical of his fascinating subjects, insisting they had good intentions, but didnt quite know how to express themselves. "There were some bits of it that were really good and showed the true people. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Laureen Hemming on Google (April 14, 2019, 7:48 am) . Jan 2 - Jan 3. Hotel Coolgardie(dir. achieves WHAT ALL FILMMAKERS SHOULD REALLY ASPIRE to capturing the TRUTH Built in 1898, the current building was the third hotel built on the site after the first two were destroyed by fire. These women are a fixation for the men who frequent the pub, most of whom fully expect that the promise of sexual relations is part of the deal. Hotel Coolgardie is every negative connotation of Australian culture transformed into a single, slanted building: a den of alcoholism and antagonism that blights Steph and Lina's exploits from the outset. I was crying, and I was angry. The burger came with a garlic bun top and bottom (good). The release of the trailer this week sparked a torrent of criticism from residents of Coolgardie, 500km east of Perth, and its Goldfields neighbours. POV Magazine, a JAW-DROPPING documentary that lingered for many days after seeing it Come and enjoy a coffee and cake, Steak, Parmie, Fish & Chips ( snapper ) $12.50 and lots more, from 10am daily. I was crying, and I was angry: Hotel Coolgardie's shocking portrait of sexism in the outback | Film | The Guardian. 0.9 mi from city center. the plight of the outsider forced to adapt or face the consequences. (527 reviews) "My room was clean, comfortable and everything worked. Prior to production the director visited the hotel from time to time. 4.24. ms LINA and STEPHIE collect bags on train. It's a mining town just west of Kalgoorlie, WA and the middle of nowhere. 21.39 miles. It was like people were making us the the others so that they could feel like they were normal. "Of course there were times when people treated them kindly and with generosity," he said. Little did they know that I have a masters degree in economics.". He envisioned making a film about foreigners adjusting to the norms and expectations of Coolgardie. (129) 6.8 1 h 23 min 2017 R. In remotest red-dust Australia is the sleepy mining town of Coolgardie. At the motel, all rooms have a closet, a flat-screen TV, a private . There's also no small amount of humour amongst the horror,from what surely must be the worst Mr Whippy in the world to the unique world-view of local celebrity Can Man. "We thought it might have been filmed 1012 years ago," Mr Cullen told Mornings. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. David Stratton, who gave the film four stars. Sure Coolgardie's Denver City Hotel might look like a typical two-storey Aussie country pub, but the publican is more EastEnders' Dirty Den than The Flying Doctors' Vic Buckley. After being robbed of all their savings in Bali, twenty-somethings Lina and Steph head to Perth to find work. Are they still with us? Every day we got [told] that we were stupid or dumb as a horse. You don't have your own car and are relying on the same locals who've made you fear for your safety in the pub in order to go anywhere else. The Miners Rest Motel. Review of Denver City Hotel. It wasnt our job to go out there and judge.. For me, if youre part of something you love whether its a country, or a footy team, or a management team, or anything if you love it, I think you should be able to shake it around a bit, pressure test it, make sure its the best that it can be. Yes I do. The locals eagerly anticipating the arrival Lina and Stephie's arrival. Coopers Crossing this ain't. Ive been thinking about the reasons for their behaviour. "I was a bit sad, because it was never like that, I don't reckon. June 15, 2017. </p> <p>Morgan had a .333 batting average in that series, had one home run, scored three runs, and had two RBIs. On a dusty highway somewhere between Perth and Western Australias largest gold mines lies Coolgardie, a tiny outback town with with pub and, seemingly, not a whole lot else. For the latest information, searchABC Emergency, For the latestweather warnings in the Northern Territory, search onABC Emergency. Discover genuine guest reviews for Coolgardie GoldRush Motels along with the latest prices and availability - book now. The people we were supposed to rely on were the ones who treated us the worst.. "Harangued by their new boss, relentlessly pursued and pilloried by booze-addled patrons and prey to the madness and malaise of an environment as claustrophobic as it is isolated," the film's synopsis reads. Featuring room service, this property also provides guests with a grill. Hotel Coolgardie is now available to stream on DocPlay and Amazon Prime Video. Almost a year ago, the film screened at the Sydney Film Festival and the trailer in circulation at the time stirred up local criticism, with the shire president declaring he would not go out of his way to see it. to DISTURBING verbal and physical violations Front Row Reviews, Hotel Coolgardie is to BOGANS what JAWS is to SHARKS. The Brag, an ethnography of LIBIDINAL MASCULINITY, BOOZING and CUSSING Senses of Cinema, a STAGGERING piece of work It alsono longer hires every three months, but that didn't stop Lina giving the Coolgardie Hotel zero stars. Director defends controversial documentary on 'backpacker nightmare' at Coolgardie Pub, There is an emergency bushfire warning in place for Maintongoonin Victoria. "I thought [the film] was funny in places, but really quite sad with the overall persona they were giving off," one woman said after the screening. Racism got a whole new meaning for me in Coolgardie. "I think very few people are that perturbed about it at all.". 3.24. When theres a dominant culture at play with certain norms and customs you do need to fall in line without joining in. But it also shouldn't be viewed as some sort of natural consequence of life in remote areas where there's a gender imbalance. 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