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On the night that Jasper Jones, a young Aboriginal man and social outcast, shows Charlie Bucklin the dead body of young Laura Wiseheart, Charlie's life is changed forever. Believing Jasper to be innocent, Charlie embarks on a dangerous journey to find the killer, defeating the local racists, facing the break up of his parents and falling head over heels in love as he discovers what it means to be truly courageous.
Source: Screen Australia.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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"Jasper Jones" As A Window Into Australia’s Aboriginal History
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: NEW : Emerging Scholars in Australian Indigenous Studies , March vol. 5 no. 1 2020;
— Review of Jasper Jones 2016 single work film/TV 'Jasper Jones (2017) is an Australian film adaptation of Craig Silvey’s 2009 novel of the same name. The film is directed by Arrernte woman Rachel Perkins, who founded Blackfella Films in 1992 and has since been heading the initiative to include more Indigenous representation on screen. With an Aboriginal character, Jasper Jones, at the forefront of the story, the film presents a window into the lives of Aboriginal people living in 1960’s white Australia.' -
'Can't be in the place anymore' : The Australian Gothic and the Oppressive Home in Jasper Jones
2018
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Screen Education , no. 88 2018; (p. 118-123)'On the outskirts of a tall and looming forest in the south of Western Australia is a quiet timber town. Establishing shots reveal the empty streets and weatherboard houses. This isolated, fictional town, Corrigan, is familiar, yet is not as peaceful as it may seem. Adapted from the book of the same name by novelist Craig Silvey, Jasper Jones (2017) is a startling expose of the sinister side of small-town Australian life. Directed by Rachel Perkins, who also helmed 2009's Bran Nue Dae and several episodes of the TV series Redfern Now, the film tells the story of the bright and inquisitive Charlie Bucktin (Levi Miller), who, in the middle of the night on Christmas Day 1969, is awoken by town outcast Jasper Jones (Aaron McGrath) pleading for his help. Leading him to the middle of the forest, Jasper reveals to Charlie the dead body of local girl Laura Wishart (Nandalie Campbell Killick), and the pair take it upon themselves to figure out who killed her. True to the Australian Gothic genre, by the end of the narrative, Charlie will realise just what it means to live in a small rural town, and will be made aware of the oppression that members of the community live under. This relates, firstly, to the racism inflicted upon both the title character and the Vietnamese family of Charlie's best friend Jeffrey Lu (Kevin Long), and, secondly, to the home as a site of oppression and horror for female characters, a common motif in the Australian Gothic genre.'
Source: Abstract.
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Sinister Underbelly of a Small Town
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 25 February 2017; (p. 15) 'Craig Silvey’s well-regarded novel Jasper Jones has frequently been compared with To Kill a Mockingbird because of its depiction of simmering racism in a small town. It’s a comparison that really isn’t fair to Silvey because it raises expectations that can hardly be fulfilled. The same goes for Rachel Perkins’s beautifully made film version: if you go to see it expecting the same impact made by Robert Mulligan’s memorable 1962 version of Harper Lee’s book, you’ll probably come away disappointed; but if you go with an open mind, you should be amply rewarded.' (Introduction) -
Rachel Perkins, Craig Silvey, and Aaron L. McGrath on Bringing Jasper Jones to the Big Screen
2017
single work
column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 2 March 2017; -
[Review Essay] Jasper Jones
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 389 2017; (p. 68) ABR : Arts 2017;
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Six of the Best for 2016 Cinema
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 9-10 January 2016; (p. 11)
— Review of The Daughter 2015 single work film/TV ; Looking for Grace 2015 single work film/TV ; A Month of Sundays 2016 single work film/TV ; Jasper Jones 2016 single work film/TV ; Red Dog : True Blue 2016 single work film/TV -
After Bumper Year, What's Next for Local Films?
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 9-10 January 2016; (p. 13)
— Review of Red Dog : True Blue 2016 single work film/TV ; Jasper Jones 2016 single work film/TV ; A Month of Sundays 2016 single work film/TV ; Looking for Grace 2015 single work film/TV ; The Daughter 2015 single work film/TV -
Jasper Jones First Look Review – Spielberg Meets Stranger Things in Australian Coming-of-Age Tale
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 25 August 2016;
— Review of Jasper Jones 2016 single work film/TV -
Secrets and Shame of a Small Town
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 26 August 2016; (p. 5)
— Review of Jasper Jones 2016 single work film/TV -
"Jasper Jones" As A Window Into Australia’s Aboriginal History
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: NEW : Emerging Scholars in Australian Indigenous Studies , March vol. 5 no. 1 2020;
— Review of Jasper Jones 2016 single work film/TV 'Jasper Jones (2017) is an Australian film adaptation of Craig Silvey’s 2009 novel of the same name. The film is directed by Arrernte woman Rachel Perkins, who founded Blackfella Films in 1992 and has since been heading the initiative to include more Indigenous representation on screen. With an Aboriginal character, Jasper Jones, at the forefront of the story, the film presents a window into the lives of Aboriginal people living in 1960’s white Australia.' -
Hugo is Our Queen of the Desert Again
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 29 October 2015; (p. 30) -
Top Picks of Aussie Flicks
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 22 November 2015; (p. 81) -
Jasper Jones among Finalists for CinefestOz, Australia's Richest Film Festival Prize
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2016; 'West Australian film Jasper Jones has been chosen as a finalist for Australia's richest film festival prize and is set to have its world premiere screening at the event. ...' -
Rachel Perkins on Jasper Jones and Indigenous Activism
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 28 January 2017; Filmmaker Rachel Perkins stays true to her activist upbringing in Jasper Jones, even as she avoids overt political messages. -
Toni Collette Gets Wistful : 'Australia Was so Beautiful and Seemingly so Innocent'
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 21 February 2017; 'Making Jasper Jones ‘in the middle of nowhere with no budget to speak of’, the actor is happy to be on home soil.'
Awards
- 2018 nominated AFCA Film Awards — Best Director
- 2017 nominated Film Critics Circle of Australia — Best Director
- 2017 nominated Film Critics Circle of Australia — Best Film
- 2017 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards — Best Adapted Screenplay
- 2017 nominated Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards — Best Film
- Western Australia,
- 1965