Death in Brunswick 1990

Set and filmed in Brunswick, a Melbourne suburb, the film centers on Carl Sam Neill, a humble chef who lands a job at a sleazy nightclub run by Yanni Voulgaris Nicholas Papademetriou. He begins a relationship with the Greek-Australian barmaid, Sophie Zoe Carides, a romance that draws him into conflict with his employers and her strict father.

Meanwhile, his drug-dealing Turkish-Australian co-worker Mustafa Nico Lathouris is beaten by the Greek-Australian owners. Thinking Carl told them, Mustafa attacks Carl. Carl accidentally stabs and kills him.

He calls his friend Dave John Clarke, a grave digger, and they bury Mustafa. This leads to one of the film’s most infamous moments: Dave suggests burying the body in the opened grave of another woman who is due to be buried above her husband the following day, hoping the coffin would be relatively empty. When the pace of decomposition doesn’t match their expectations, Dave ends up stomping and crushing the body to make some room.

Later, Mustafa’s wife and son come to the restaurant and ask Carl if they know what happened to Mustafa. Carl denies any knowledge and is wracked with guilt. He gives Mustafa’s pay to his wife, even though Dave warns this might raise suspicion. Mustafa’s son sees him at a pool with Sophie. Knowing that Sophie is also involved with one of the Greek owners, Mustafa’s Turkish friends confront Carl.

Believing the Greek owners to be responsible, they seek revenge on them, ironically killing the one who had originally beaten Mustafa. Carl leaves his job and is comforted when he sees Mustafa in a church (in a dream) who offers him a friendly handshake. After his domineering mother suffers a stroke and is left a quadriplegic, Carl marries Sophie, despite her father’s protests, and the final wedding scene mirrors the Last Supper. Mrs. Fitzgerald Yvonne Lawley remains a looming presence as the family’s dynamics unfold, sealing the film’s somber arc.