Spotswood

The exact year is left unspecified, but the film evokes late 20th-century Australia and industrial decline. Clues such as the West Gate Bridge’s 1978 opening place it in a era where manufacturing faced modernization pressures, labor unions remained influential, and corporate restructuring was common.

The action centers on Spotswood, a Melbourne suburb dominated by a moccasin factory that anchors the community. The Balls factory represents a working-class industrial enclave with aging machinery and a close-knit workforce. The surrounding city of Melbourne provides the urban backdrop for the workers’ struggles and for Wallace’s audit.

🏭 Dignity at work

The film centers on workers' dignity beyond profits. Wallace’s encounter with the Balls workforce reveals that treating people with respect matters as much as productivity, challenging the cold logic of downsizing.

💼 Profit vs people

Durmack’s redundancies and Ball’s precarious finances raise questions about balancing efficiency with human impact. The narrative tracks how financial pressures can threaten worker security and community morale.

🤝 Solidarity and trust

A growing bond forms between Wallace and the workers after acts of support, shifting him from observer to participant. The workers’ collective response contrasts with management strategies that seek to demoralize unions.

🕰️ Ambiguous era

The film deliberately defers a precise setting, using an industrial Melbourne milieu and a rooftop finale over the West Gate Bridge to suggest a transitional period rather than a fixed year.