One child’s truth against another and the effect it has on two families comes to the fore in the taut new Australian drama DISCLOSURE,
The parents in question are Emily and Danny Bowman (Matilda Ridgway, Mark Leonard Winter) and Joel and Bek Chalmers (Tom Wren, Geraldine Hakewill).
The whole focus of conflict is the suggestion by one family that the son of another has abused their daughter – when they meet six weeks after the alleged act of impropriety at the house of the son’s parents.
The discussion begins civil enough, but then the blame game begins as the facts are laid out in each couple’s point of view, based on the love and support they have for their respective offspring. However, the apparent lack of evidence about the son’s true intent is seemingly missing from the accusations the daughter’s parents are making towards the other couple, who in turn want their son’s names removed from any actions before the Child Protection Agency and the Police get involved.
Topping it off, Joel is a key figure in Government and about to release a paper on children’s safety – and this sort of unlit blue-touch paper has long-term consequences for his career and status in the world, something the daughter’s father is well aware of as the story progresses.
This whole dynamic begins to seep its’ way into a bigger set of conflicts that start to play on both the emotional and psychological stance that each couple is taking to protect the welfare of their children, notably the adults’ own past histories and their own beliefs about how things should or should not be done….
Sometimes you need a simple idea and through line to make a drama all the more effective without resorting to unnecessary exposition. As written and directed by Michael Bentham, DISCLOSURE keeps a balance by focusing on the discussions each couple has and revealing the facts gradually, both in terms of the moral and social status.
The emotional toll that is revealed is also significant, as well as the perception of what is sexually inappropriate regardless of age or gender, in addition to what checks and balances are needed in raising your children in the right way, particularly in an era where some restrictive imagery is finding its’ way into the view of those who shouldn’t be seeing it.
The quartet of actors are excellent, working from Bentham’s slow-burning script that racks up the tension when required. It’s an involving and highly charged emotional ride – and one well worth your attention.
