Bedevil (beDevil)

Tracey Moffatt | Australia 1993 | 90 min

Bedevil is the first feature directed by an Australian Aboriginal woman. With this film, Moffatt challenges racial stereotypes in Australian society.

She presents a narrative that consists of three ‘ghost stories’ which belong to Aboriginal and Anglo/Celtic relatives. These stories are told via a playful bending and blending of generic conventions which provides a meta-narrative of how indigenous and non-indigenous Australians understand and live with each other.

The stories are:

Mr Chuck

The sandy shores and the breezy bungalows of Bribie Island play host to a strange and eerie story. Years back an American GI drove his truck into the quicksand after a party. The pervasive malevolence of the GI’s presence is still felt by many who live on the island. However, there is another underlying evil that remains unspoken. Rick experienced it and lived to tell the tale.

Choo Choo Choo Choo

In the desolate plains of outback Queensland, Ruby (played by Moffatt herself) and her family are haunted by invisible trains which run on a track beside their house. The ghost of a young girl killed by a train drives Ruby and her family away. After many years Ruby returns to experience the ghostly presence yet again.

Lovin’ the Spin I’m in

Imelda’s people are Torres Strait Islanders. When her son Bebe and his love, Minnie, leave their community to escape opposition to their marriage, Imelda follows them to a small town in north Queensland. Tragedy strikes - Bebe and Minnie die, but the doomed couple never find peace. The spirits of Minnie and Bebe dance on a condemned warehouse and refuse to leave.

Cast	Diana Davidson - Shelley Jack Charles - Rick Ben Kennedy - Young Rick, age 11 Desarae Morgan - Rick's 1st sister, age 4 Daphne Byers - Rick's 1st sister, age 9 Daphne Byers - Rick's 2nd sister, age 5 Lavina Phillips - Rick's 2nd sister, age 10 Jordan Hammond - Blonde Boy, age 9
Release dates	1993 - Australia
Video/DVD Release Date
Awards	1994 Kate Challis RAKA Award - Scriptwriting
Rating	PG - Parental guidance
Language level
Distributor
Soundtrack	Carl Vine
Genre	Drama
Notes	Bedevil is the first feature directed by an Australian Aboriginal woman. Other films by Tracey Moffatt: Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy (1990) Bedevil (beDevil) (1993)
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