Synopsis

In Pay Back we follow Paddy, an Aboriginal man in prison who has a vision seeing an elder telling him that "tomorrow is pay back".

Paddy collects his belongings and is dismissed from prison. "Have a nice life, Pat," says the guard. "Yeah," is Paddy's brief response.

He ignores an offer to take another exit. Outside two painted Aboriginal men start to sing and dance as the pay back ceremony begins. Paddy joins their dance with the media filming and recording the ceremony.

Finally one of the painted men raises his weapon and spears Pat in his thigh. "You've got your pay back. Now you're free," he says. Paddy moans and is taken to a waiting ambulance. One of the men also enters the car.

I don't like 'massage films', I like question films.

— Warwick Thornton when asked about Pay Back