The Travellers
The Travellers (2025), an Australian drama film, directed by Bruce Beresford, follows Stephen Seary (Luke Bracey), a successful stage designer who returns to his Australian hometown to visit his dying mother. Expecting a brief stay before returning to Europe for an important opera production, Stephen finds himself caught up in family tensions, particularly his strained relationship with his ageing father (Bryan Brown). Encounters with old friends and former lovers further complicate his homecoming, as he struggles to reconcile his professional ambitions with the demands of family, illness, and impending loss.
So, is The Travellers a worthwhile gerontological film?
Let me begin by saying that there is something particularly enjoyable about watching Australian gerontological films: the beautiful, wide-open landscapes, the kangaroos, the wonderful accent, the relaxed atmosphere—and somehow, even Australian sex comes across well on screen. So yes, as you can probably tell, this is, overall, a well-made, touching film that does the soul some good.
From a gerontological perspective, it also raises familiar and important issues, explored in other films reviewed on this blog, such as What They Had. These include coping with the loss of an older parent, the demands of caring for ageing parents, and the difficult question of whether older people living alone can continue to remain in their own homes. When, if ever, is moving them elsewhere justified in the name of protecting them and providing better care?
The Australian setting brings home, once again, the universality of these classic gerontological dilemmas. Whether in Australia or Sweden, China or Argentina, Nigeria or Hungary, people face similar questions about ageing. No country or society is exempt.
Yet, from a critical gerontological perspective, the film is also problematic. Once again, old age is presented primarily through the eyes of adult children caring for their parents, rather than through the perspectives of older people themselves. What the older characters actually think, want, or prefer takes second place to their children’s struggles, interests, and supposedly caring concern. In many ways, older parents are expected to sacrifice their preferences on the altar of their children’s convenience, while the familiar paternalistic appeal to “what is best for them” takes precedence.
Unfortunately, even if its intentions are good, the film reinforces ageist and paternalistic attitudes that portray older people as burdens, incapable of understanding their own circumstances or looking after themselves. And that is a real shame.
My verdict? Yes, an enjoyable gerontological film. But also an ageist and paternalistic one, whose underlying messages deserve to be challenged.
Australia
2025
Director: Bruce Beresford
Comments