Bad Boy Bubby

The events unfold in a late 1980s Australian urban setting, a period of economic tension and countercultural undercurrents. The gritty city atmosphere combines hardship with rough nightlife, reflecting the era’s social attitudes toward disability and difference. This backdrop influences Bubby’s isolation, encounters with street life, and evolving sense of self.

Set in a dilapidated house in an industrial precinct of Adelaide, the story unfolds amid factory walls and polluted air. The surrounding streets become Bubby's first exposure to the outside world, marked by public harassment and stark social divides. The environment mirrors the oppressive religious and familial controls that shape his life.

🩹 Abuse and Resilience

The film centers on how abusive family dynamics and coercive control shape Bubby’s psyche. It tracks the cycles of fear, manipulation, and the fragile attempts at solace that eventually push him toward self-definition. Despite brutal experiences, the story follows Bubby’s stubborn persistence to find a place in the world. The narrative uses his perspective to challenge what constitutes normal humanity.

🌪️ Violence and Survival

Violence operates as a pervasive force that drives Bubby’s choices and life trajectory. The abuse from his mother and later violent encounters reveal a world with few safe boundaries. The film critiques harsh social attitudes toward disability and difference, showing how survival often requires redefining personal limits. Through upheaval, Bubby seeks a form of autonomy, even at great cost.

🎭 Performance and Outsider Art

Bubby’s emergence as a stage presence—joining a rock band and delivering a raw, improvised act—frames his outsider status as a form of art. The crowd’s reaction lends him a sense of validation he never received at home. The film treats his performances as outsider art, challenging norms about who can create meaning and be seen. It questions the gatekeepers of art and fame.

🕯️ Faith vs Doubt

Religious dogma at home clashes with secular, probing ideas introduced by other characters, notably The Scientist. The mother’s fanaticism shapes Bubby’s early worldview, while the Scientist urges personal responsibility and self-made meaning. This tension fuels Bubby’s quest for autonomy, as he navigates belief, doubt, and self-definition. The narrative uses faith as a lens to examine control and freedom.