SCAFFOLDING contractor Greg (Vince Colosimo) has just got home when the ute, driven by employee Wayne (Luke Ford), rear-ends his Jag not once but four times.

This seemingly irrational violence provides the initial impulse for director Michael Rymer’s adaptation of David Williamson’s powerful, perceptive drama written in 2000.

A restorative conference, replacing the traditional punitive ethos of law courts with examining who has been harmed, what that person now needs and who is obliged to provide it, is about to begin. In a rented hall, mediator Jack (Matthew Newton) will examine Wayne’s criminal damage to Greg’s car.

Simple? No. Before the enquiry ends, Jack will scrutinise Greg and his wife (Sigrid Thornton), the office manager, the foreman whom Greg has seen Wayne beating up leading to Wayne’s instant dismissal, Wayne’s mother, Wayne’s mate, Theresa the firm’s shy accountant, and Hakim with an industrial relations axe to grind. The landscape of issues will broaden into unexpected places.

Overturning our assumptions and expectations about guilt and blame, Williamson’s probing dialogue uncovers relationships and shared histories.

Floating between strong tensions and sharp humour, it’s marvellous viewing that will please those who see Australia as a country making world-class films unblemished by the clichés of pop cinema. It’s packed with surprises. Every performance is right on the mark. And despite its serious core, it sends us out with warm fuzzies.

At Greater Union