MIFF 2023 Film Review - Australia’s Open

Images courtesy of Common State.

A glimpse into Australian sporting culture from one of the world’s leading sports competitions.

Insightful, hilarious, yet emotional, director Ili Baré leads the audience through a surprising journey behind one of the world’s most viewed sports competitions, The Australian Open. 

The Australian Open is the youngest sibling of three other Grand Slams; the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. The documentary effectively narrated through interviewees, describes to the audience the constant pressure the Australian Open faces as the youngest, initially ‘lesser known’ Grand Slam and how as such, Tennis Australia was determined to turn the Grand Slam into a widely spectated international event - something they have most definitely achieved. 

Baré dissects the Australian Open almost like a person, beginning with its birth and chronologically following the Grand Slam’s evolution up to the most recent tournament in January 2023. The film speaks through various impressive interviewees including Rennae Stubbs, former Grand Slam doubles winner and former coach to Serena Williams. Other interviewees included present and former players, sports journalists and Tennis Australia officials, giving the film the legitimacy needed for the impact it creates. 

The major hits this film serves are how the Australian Open sparks political debates, not only in Australia but with the rest of the world. The film tackles topics of how the Grand Slam and Australia responded to same sex marriage, the treatment of Indigenous Australians, COVID-19, and how Novak Djokovic’s time in quarantine before deportation exposed Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers to many watchers. The documentary highlighted how the Grand Slam can essentially become a conduit for which some people discover and discuss political and cultural topics, giving many causes the exposure they need to take that step closer to creating change.

The direction this documentary takes is unexpected. It leaves the audience with a deeper understanding of not only the effort that is put into the Australian Open by everyone involved, but also how Australia as a nation responds to events and behaves in sporting environments. This competition brings masses of fans into the country every year and has become an essential fortnight in the global calendar. The team behind this documentary executed a thorough dissection of sports, politics and culture and effectively disguised it as an entertaining documentary in a style that has become increasingly popular with audiences.  

The title Australia’s Open is packed with meaning. On one hand, the Australian Open showed people all over the world in previous decades that Australia is open to tourists, and then held that same message after COVID-19. The title and contents of the film also leaves you wondering, are we as a country really that open to new ideas or people? 

Australia’s Open screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, running in metro cinemas August 3-20 and online August 18-27.

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