Spotswood

Wallace is hired by the Durmack board to assess a planned large-scale workforce redundancy. He conducts analysis, interviews, and weighs the financials to determine the impact of layoffs. He concludes that major job cuts are necessary, setting a tense tone for the corporate purge.

Carey, a young Balls worker, is asked to assist Wallace with the workplace review. He is reluctant at first until he learns that Ball's daughter Cheryl is part of the review staff, which motivates him. The collaboration foreshadows the tensions between workers and management.

Wallace tours the Balls moccasin factory and sees shabby facilities, old machinery, and a workforce that appears driftless. He notes how these conditions reflect inefficiency and potential for improvement. This initial visit builds the case for his later recommendations.

Wallace learns that a colleague, Jerry, has leaked the Durmack report to inflate layoff numbers and demoralize the union. The leak creates tension between management and the workers and colors Wallace's perspective. It becomes a catalyst for power struggles within the company.

Kim Barry arrives at Wallace's home with the company records, revealing that profits have been non-existent for years and that assets have been sold to keep the business afloat. The revelation undermines trust and complicates the case for layoffs. Wallace confronts the reality of corporate deception.

Wallace realises that productivity improvements and staff reductions won't save Balls. Despite this, he still recommends layoffs, which deepens his moral conflict. The moment marks a turning point as he begins to see the human cost of the decision.

Wallace's car is vandalised, but Balls workers come to his aid and begin including him in their off-hours activities. The act of solidarity shifts his perception of the workers from adversaries to potential allies. He starts to feel the human impact of the decision.

Ball publicly announces the workforce redundancies, and Wallace watches with clear discomfort, realizing the human cost of his recommendation. The scene cements the conflict between managerial pragmatism and worker dignity. The atmosphere turns sour as the layoffs loom.

The union at Durmack capitulates as management celebrates with a party. Wallace becomes increasingly disillusioned with the ruthlessness of the purge and the superficial corporate victories. The party-setting underscores the separation between decision-makers and workers.

Wallace begins to rethink Balls' competitive position, considering that a very large product range could convert inefficiencies into opportunities for growth. Rather than pure price competition, diversification could offer profits without wholesale layoffs. The idea marks a potential shift away from his earlier stance.

Carey realises his feelings for Wendy and they climb onto the factory roof to hold hands. The moment adds a human and hopeful counterpoint to the industrial conflict. It hints at a personal future beyond the factory.

In the final shot, Carey and Wendy look out over the West Gate Bridge, whose opening in 1978 anchors a sense of time while deliberately leaving the film's setting ambiguous. The ending invites multiple interpretations about when the events occurred. The bridge serves as a thematic backdrop for the unresolved question of time and progress.