Taglines: Some rules were meant to be broken.
The Delinquents movie synopsis. Lola and Brownie are teenagers in the Australian town of Bundaberg during the 1950s. They fall in love, but because of their age must fight their parents and welfare, who try to keep them apart. Lola falls pregnant and the couple runs away so they can keep their baby and live happily ever after. Lola’s mother and the police find them and take Lola home. Brownie joins the crew of a ship so he can sail the coast and look for Lola.
Meanwhile, Lola is forced to have an abortion by her mother in Brisbane. After an argument with her mother about Brownie and the abortion, Lola moves to Melbourne, becomes a waitress and bleaches her hair. Lola is reunited with Brownie after he visits the bar where Lola works whilst on shore leave. She returns with Brownie to his ship and they spend the night together in Brownie’s cabin, where they are discovered the following morning by Brownie’s friend and boss, Bosun. After an argument between Brownie and Bosun as to whether Lola should return to her mother or stay with Brownie, Bosun eventually relents and says that Lola can stay, so long as she is kept “out of sight” from the other sailors.
After the ship docks, Lola and Brownie attend a party held by a young couple, Lyle and Mavis. They are squatting in the property with their daughter, Sharon. One night, Lola and Brownie are arrested for under-age drinking after being caught leaving a pub.
Lola is taken away by her mother and welfare to live with Aunt Westbury, a caretaker in the countryside for a fixed-term of 12 months. She and Brownie are told that they are not allowed to see or contact each other for one year. During Lola’s stay in the community placement, a former charge of Aunt’s visits the house. During this visit, Lola collects the mail and, after a brief conversation with the postman, realizes that her caretaker has thrown all Brownie’s letters in the bin. Lola and the caretaker fight, and Lola runs away.
Finding her mother drunk and unsympathetic, Lola returns to Lyle and Sharon’s home, only to be arrested and taken to a young offenders’ institution to restart and complete her sentence. During this time, a riot is started by the other inmates. After her 18th birthday, Lola is released from jail and is subsequently reunited with Brownie. They return to the house, where Lola discovers that Mavis is heavily pregnant with her and Lyle’s second child. Lola wants Brownie to quit his job as a sailor, and stay with her; however, Brownie is unsure and confides in Bosun about his dilemma. Mavis goes into labor. The birth does not go well and both Mavis and the baby die.
Although Lola and Brownie offer to adopt Mavis’ surviving daughter, they are unable to as they are unmarried. Lyle leaves the child with Lola to give to social services as she will be placed into foster care and Lyle is unable to bear the thought of giving up his only child.
The Delinquents is a 1989 Australian drama film directed by Chris Thomson and stars Kylie Minogue and Charlie Schlatter as the main characters Lola and Brownie, and was filmed in Brisbane, Maryborough and Bundaberg, Queensland. The film’s screenplay by Clayton Frohman and Mac Gudgeon is based on Criena Rohan’s book of the same name. The film was released international, including the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Netherlands, and West Germany
The film was released in Australia on 21 December 1989 to mixed reviews from critics. It grossed $3,370,650 at the box office in Australia, equivalent to $5,864,931 in 2009 dollars. A soundtrack was also released. The film was notable as being the debut for pop singer Minogue.
The Delinquents (1989)
Directed by: Chris Thomson
Starring: Kylie Minogue, Charlie Schlatter, Bruno Lawrence, Angela Punch McGregor, Todd Boyce, Lynette Curran, Melissa Jaffer, Rosemary Harris, Yvonne Hooper
Screenplay by: layton Frohman, Mac Gudgeon
Production Design by: Lawrence Eastwood
Cinematography by: Andrew Lesnie
Film Editing by: John Scott
Costume Design by: Bruce Finlayson
Set Decoration by: Lissa Coote
Art Direction by: Rob Robinson
Music by: Miles Goodman
Distributed by: Village Roadshow
Release Date: December 21, 1989
Related Link: All About Kylie Minogue
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