Filmmaker Statement

After the pandemic locked down Melbourne for 262 days, I wanted to write about the experience of being young and having the course of your life altered by forces outside your control. I began looking for a metaphor through which to explore this, and became captivated by the idea of gender-neutral conscription being reintroduced. At at time where there worst case scenario seems more possible than ever, it seemed to be a compelling framework through which to explore the ethics of self-preservation, body autonomy, coercion, and the role governments play in our personal and private lives. But I like grounded stories about complex characters. And I didn't want the film to be all doom and gloom, either, as that didn't feel true to my experience. All of the above became background, then, to this contained story of two characters trying figure out a way through, together. The film asks complex ethical questions, yes; but at its core, Dodger is a love story.