A Matter of Convenience

Set and mainly shot on location in St Kilda of the late 1980s, this is a loving evocation of a time and environment that may have slipped away. Valma, verging on midlife, wants a baby with her partner Joe, who is a gentle, loving and well-meaning wannabe writer, but who has had absolutely no success in achieving self-sustainability, and is far from a good prospect as a reliable father. Even when he tries really hard, he finds himself in the job from hell (`a chicken factory? - is that where they make chickens?`). Alphonse is a `businessman` who has `a new business every year`. This year his main income comes from arranging `marriages of convenience` ("when was marriage ever convenient??" - Alphonse) to help new immigrants fast-track to Australian residency and citizenship.