Face to Face (MA). Director: Michael Rymer. Starring: Vince Colosimo, Sigrid Thornton, Luke Ford, Matthew Newton, Lauren Clair, Christopher Connelly, Robert Rabiah. 88 minutes
Director Rymer describes Face to Face — an adaptation of the David Williamson play of the same name — as a 'little film with big ideas'. Central is the idea that conflicts can be better resolved, not by punishment or retaliation, but through dialogue between victims and perpetrators. This allows each to be heard, reveals layers of complexity, and opens up the possibility of mutual empathy.
Face to Face takes place (mostly) within the confines of a single room and the duration of a single mediation session, where ten people have gathered to decide the fate of one angry young man.
Deceptively childlike construction worker Wayne's (Ford) guilt is not in question. He has admitted to assaulting a co-worker, Richard (Connelly), and to ramming the luxury car owned by his former boss, Greg (Colosimo), in a fit of rage over losing his job.
A prison sentence would, clearly, have significant bearing upon Wayne's ability to lead a secure and productive life in the future. The purpose of this session, then, under the direction of seemingly mild-mannered mediator Jack (Newton), is not to mete out blame and punishment, but to resolve underlying conflicts, and reach a mutually agreeable outcome — perhaps a form of restorative justice.
The film's success stems not just from its strong and nuanced performances, but also its confronting and surprising script (Williamson drew upon real-life mediation cases). It excels not just in the dialogue, which, apart from the odd clunky moment, is sharp and authentic, but in the way it teases a thematically layered backstory and character depth out of a single, highly charged group encounter.
What starts out as an ostensibly straightforward scenario — disgruntled former employee expresses his frustration through violence — is shown to be the end result of a cruel and systematic process of workplace bullying. This, we find, in fact stems from a pervasive culture of bullying, which, in turn, is the result of general low morale that has its roots in Greg's business practices and personal foibles.
Wayne is certainly not innocent. But definitions of 'victim', 'perpetrator' and even 'bystander' begin to blur. Lead bully Hakim (Rabiah) turns out to be one of the more sympathetic characters. Affable Richard is gracious towards Wayne, but his passivity emerges as another form of violence. Greg, who