The Big House (2000 film)

The Big House
Directed by	Rachel Ward
Written by	Rachel Ward
Starring	Tony Martin Gary Sweet
Cinematography	Toby Oliver
Edited by	Margaret Sixel
Music by	Paul Kelly
Release date	18 October 2001 (USA)
Running time	24 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English

The Big House is a 2000 award-winning short drama film written and directed by Rachel Ward. Set in a prison, it stars Tony Martin and Gary Sweet. It was shown at the 2001 Reel Affirmations International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Plot

Williams (Tony Martin) is a long term prisoner when Sonny (Kick Gurry) comes and is assigned to be Williams’ cell mate.

Williams decides to take Sonny under his wing, but his help and protection is conditional that Sonny occasionally has non-penetrative sex with him – masturbation or oral sex. Sonny is repulsed by this.

Sonny notices a photo of a boy above Williams’ bunk. Williams says that the boy in the photo is his son, and is probably a grown man by now. Williams has had no contact with his son for many years.

In the shower block Sonny is confronted with the prospect of male rape by another long term prisoner Jacko (Gary Sweet). Sonny then accepts Williams’ protection.

Sonny does his time and then thanks Williams for looking out for him during his prison stay.

Williams is assigned a new cell mate, and it appears unbeknownst to him that it is Anthony, his own son… with the prospect that Williams will like-wise ‘protect’ him during his prison stay.

Cast

• Tony Martin as Williams
• Gary Sweet as Jacko
• Kick Gurry as Sonny
• Paul Pantano as Anthony
• Shay Lawrence as Prisoner

Awards

In 2001 the film won the Australian Film Institute award for Best Short Fiction Film and was nominated for Best Screenplay. In 2002 it won the Film Critics Circle of Australia award for Best Short.

External links

• The Big House at IMDb