From BMX Bandits to The Secret Life of Us: 11 Australian classics new to Netflix

Australian Netflix subscribers may have recently noticed more classic homegrown films and TV shows arriving on the streaming platform. Netflix is probably hoping so, given it has often been criticised for making big money from Australian subscribers while offering paltry support of the local screen sector.

This recent injection of classic titles (rather than the financing of new ones) barely begins to right this wrong. Still, giving Australian streamers access to classic titles plays an important role in preserving our cultural identity. It also reminds people, in our noisy, content-overloaded world with its constant emphasis on “more more more” and “new new new”, that the latest often ain’t the greatest.

Here are 11 rolled gold Aussie classics, from film and television, added to Netflix’s library in May and June. The behind-the-lens talent in particular is a little blokey, with these productions coming into existence well before the likes of Screen Australia’s Gender Matters initiative. But all these titles are magnificent in one way or another, spanning a breadth of genres and styles.

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1. Round the Twist (TV, 1990-2001)

“Have you ever, ever felt like this?” Those words have been burned into the brains of many Australians who gorged on this popular TV adaptation of Paul Jennings’ beloved books, spanning four kooky mystery-filled series revolving around a family who move from the city into a lighthouse in a small coastal town. As I realised when I rewatched it recently, the show is very big on the whole “twist” thing: the main characters are the Twist family, who go metaphorically round the twist, after driving literally around a big twist in the first episode, while singing Twist and Shout.

The special effects have of course dated, but the shenanigan-filled storylines about ghosts, spells, magical creatures and the like have a timelessly zany spirit. Watching the show (which still collects some pop cultural references from time to time) today feels a bit like searching through Salvos and Vinnies shops for old treasures and knick-knacks.

Known for: the theme song. Duh.

2. Così (film, 1996)

Ben Mendelsohn plays an unemployed actor who lands a job directing a community production of Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte, starring a range of colourful amateur actors. The twist: they’re all patients of a Sydney psychiatric facility. The film is based on Louis Nowra’s play (the playwright adapted it for screen himself) and directed by Mark Joffe who, buoyed by an absolute dream team cast, doesn’t talk down to the characters or belittle them for their illnesses.

There are lots of scenes showing the wannabe performers rehearsing and bickering. The vaguely sketched plotline embraces as a core message art’s ability to strengthen social ties and build community resilience.

Known for: that incredible cast, including Mendelsohn, David Wenham, Jacki Weaver, Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Colin Friels, Pamela Rabe and Barry Otto.

3. BMX Bandits (film, 1983)

Brian Trenchard-Smith’s beloved action escapade, infused with DayGlo colours and set to the tune of an 80s synth soundtrack, is a testament to the “hard lesson” of film history as described by the late and great critic Andrew Sarris: that “the throwaway pictures often become the enduring classics whereas the noble projects often survive only as sure-fire cures for insomnia”. Nobody falls asleep in this almost manic family film, which follows a trio of BMX-riding whippersnappers in Sydney who happen upon a secret stash of walkie-talkies and subsequently foil a massive robbery planned by a criminal outfit.

Its many classic scenes include a chase through a cemetery and down waterslides. The crime-busting narrative is a memorable example of the evergreen “we would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling kids” trope, but it’s the sheer energy of the film that makes it truly special. Trenchard-Smith’s other high-energy curios include Dead End Drive-In, Turkey Shoot and The Man From Hong Kong.

Known for: a delightful early performance from a frizzy-haired, rosy-cheeked, then 16-year-old Nicole Kidman.

4. Love Serenade (film, 1996)

Shirley Barrett’s oddball love triangle drama, black comedy and quirky story of sexual awakening never got the audience it deserved; here’s hoping a new audience finds it on Netflix. This very funny – but not funny ha-ha – and deliciously warped film follows the arrival of a silver-tongued hotshot DJ (George Shetsov) into a small Australian town, where two sisters (Mirando Otto and Rebecca Frith) compete for his affections with ... I want to say terrible consequences, but it’s best for you to discover the extent of Love Serenade’s deranged charm for yourself.

Known for: making waves at the 1996 Cannes Film festival, where it won the highly revered Caméra d’Or prize.

5. The Back of Beyond (film, 1954)

One of the all-time greatest Australian documentaries was made by John Heyer in the 1950s, at a time when the local film industry was dead in the water. It was financed by Shell – the unlikely genesis for a wonderful, sad and beautiful picture, which remains to this day utterly fascinating: as a work of anthropology, a time capsule, and a poetic contemplation of Australian land and its people.

The film follows Tom Kruse, an outback postie delivering mail in his banged-up truck along the famous and unforgiving 517km Birdsville Track, capturing many colourful characters en route. Heyer profoundly contemplates the passing of time: with many ruminations on how things that were are no longer.

Known for: evocative voiceover narration. It’s so beautifully literary it almost nudges the film out of the documentary genre, into the realm of the poetic, with lines like: “The bare track roads, alone on a sea of sand and stone, who passes and perishes, only the dingo knows.”

6. The Secret Life of Us (TV, 2001-2005)

It’d been a long time since I last hung out with Evan (Samuel Johnson), Alex (Claudia Karvan), Kelly (Deborah Mailman) and the rest of the spunky young in Secret Life of Us gang, so I rewatched a big chunk of season one prior to writing this article. The show holds up well, with likable well-drawn characters, relatable situations and a good energy arising in part from multi-person voiceover narration.

It revolves around the lives of 20-something Melburnians who do very 20-something things, such as indulging in casual sex and embroiling themselves in dramas that feel big but are inconsequential in the scheme of things. As my colleague Brigid Delaney observed in 2020, the show tapped into the sensibility of a generation of young urban Australians, whose stories at the time were often passed over in favour of small town dramas and cop shows.

Known for: being a stomping ground for now major Australian talent, in front of and behind the camera. The cast includes Johnson, Karvan, Mailman, Joel Edgerton, Stephen Curry, Ben Mendelsohn and Tasma Walton, and the directors include Cate Shortland (Black Widow, Berlin Syndrome), Daina Reid (The Handmaid’s Tale, Sunshine), Ana Kokkinos (The Hunting, Seven Types of Ambiguity), Shawn Seet (Storm Boy, The Code), Matthew Saville (Friday on My Mind, Please Like Me) and Emma Freeman (Stateless, Glitch).

7. Bad Boy Bubby (film, 1993)

Rolf de Heer’s cult classic is almost certainly the most notorious Australian film ever made. Shockingly weird and unconventional, it makes other infamous local pictures – such as Wolf Creek – look meek by comparison. Nicholas Hope plays the titular bad boy: a tortured soul who’s spent the first 35 years of his life locked in a grotty apartment. When he busts free and experiences life outside for the first time – literally barking like a dog and meowing at passersby – well, let’s just say Australian cinema was never quite the same.

There’s so much going on here: Kafkaesque nightmare, kitchen-sink drama, the blackest of black comedy. But one can carry on about Bad Boy Bubby ad infinitum. To understand this film – borrowing the words of Morpheus of The Matrix – you have to see it for yourself.

Known for: oh boy, don’t make me say it. The cat. The plastic. The incest. Let’s move on.

8. Blue Murder (TV, 1995)

This masterpiece of Australian gangsterism – full of dodgy deals, crooked cops and desperate crims – comes on like a clap of thunder, throwing us into the turbulent world of police informant Neddy Smith (Tony Martin) and his associates. Neddy has, shall we say, a way with words, his rough-as-guts narration incorporating delicately poetic statements such as describing one of his mates as being “the kind of guy that sticks to you like shit to a blanket”.

Then of course there is one of Richard Roxburgh’s all-time greatest performances as bent cop Roger “the Dodger” Rogerson, who was the subject of a 2017 spin-off series that didn’t disappoint. Critics often lean on the word “Scorsesean” to describe gritty crime dramas, but Blue Murder absolutely justifies it.

Known for: being banned in New South Wales, as the courts dealt with Neddy Smith’s murder charges. Bootleg VHS copies made the rounds, in these pre-DVD and pre-streaming days, until the series was finally OK’d for NSW in 2001, six years after the original broadcast.

9. They’re a Weird Mob (film, 1966)

The penultimate film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, one of the greatest tag-teams in cinema history. They’re a Weird Mob is a culture-clash comedy about an Italian migrant, Nino (Walter Chiari), who arrives in Sydney and adjusts to life down under, where people are indeed very weird. And very boozy. “If you please, I wish to drink some beer,” Nino politely says in one of many classic scenes, exchanging dialogue with a rotund Aussie drinker who introduces him to phrases such as “bloody oath” and “what do you do for a crust?”

The premise, as I noted when I revisited the film in 2014, is a reverse Crocodile Dundee: instead of a local leaving to visit a foreign land, a foreigner comes to Australia. The film is warmly optimistic (and Nino is a sweet protagonist) but doesn’t turn a blind eye to racism.

Known for: its working class spirit (Nino gets a job as a builder’s labourer) and its framing of Australia as an odd place to get your head around.

10. Malcolm (film, 1986)

There has never been a character study quite like Nadia Tass’s idiosyncratic comedy-drama, and nor have there ever been contraptions quite like those invented by its socially awkward, oddball protagonist. An employee of the Metropolitan Transport Authority, the film begins with Malcolm (Colin Friels) taking a tram-like one-person vehicle for a spin, and ends with a bank robbery sequence in which he finally puts his kooky inventions to good (albeit highly illegal) use, working alongside a career criminal played by John Hargreaves.

The style of the film itself is unflashy, even quaint, with a measured pace and an air of modesty that serves to emphasise the peculiarities of Malcolm and his machines.

Known for: one of the very best getaway cars in movie history – though it’s technically two vehicles. On the run from police, Malcolm pulls a lever that splits his yellow 1970 Honda Z in half, into two separate motorbike-like vehicles, allowing the characters to manoeuvre themselves away from the fuzz. Belonging to an Australian cinematic tradition of creating batshit crazy vehicles that actually work (which is still maintained today), Malcolm’s getaway car is on display at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.

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11. An Angel at My Table (film, 1990)

To our friends across the Tasman: yes, we know Jane Campion is not Australian (as much as we may want her to be) and we know her 1993 magnum opus The Piano is more Kiwi than Aussie – despite us lavishing it with a tonne of AFI awards. We’re not pretending her 1990 biopic of New Zealand author Janet Frame is completely Australian either, but it is a co-production, which qualifies it for this list.

More importantly it is an excellent if a little overlong film, slow paced and tenderly detailed, matching a big picture approach with small personal details, exploring three distinct periods in the subject’s life – as a child (played by Alexia Keogh), an adolescent (Karen Fergusson) and an adult (Kerry Fox).

Known for: its triptych format, which mirrors the structure of Janet Frame’s three-volume autobiography, compiled under the title An Angel At My Table.