Go Back to Where You Came From, Analysis Examples EPISODE 1 Dr David Corlett collects wallets, passports and phones from the six participants at the start of their journey. This signifies several things; the replication of a sense of jeopardy and danger experience by refugees, the loss of Australian identity (they are symbolically now without names, citizenship, money, and connections to the rest of their world), and the metaphorical ‘blank slate’ on which the rest of the journey will be imprinted. The barren ruins the participants stand in allude to Australia’s own colonial past as a point of incarceration for convicts, and foreshadows the hardship each individual will go on to face. The establishing shot of Raye Colbey on horseback and in rural, equestrian clothes provides a point of contrast with the refugees and their ‘hard luck’ stories. Raye is introduced as a woman speaking from a position of privilege, and the placement of her opening interview against the backdrop of wide, open farmland further reinforces the idea that she is as materialistically and culturally far from the refugees as one could get. When she says “It served the bastards right” she emphasises the gulf of understanding that exists between herself and asylum seekers, demonstrating an acute lack of sympathy that will later become the antithesis of everything she comes to discover. The direct-to-camera interview allows Adam to express his preexisting opinions before embarking on the social experiment offered by Go Back to Where You Came From. Adam is framed by Cronulla Beach, the mise en scene allowing for the iconic surf lifesaver flag to appear in the mid-ground of the shot. Adam’s occupation as a life guard alludes to the racist metanarrative that birthed the Cronulla Riots, which are included as stock footage to further bolster Adam’s context as the stereotypical white Australian. Adam expresses some degree of anxiety and antipathy towards asylum seekers in his introductory interview, establishing his mindset at the start of his journey. Raquel’s introductory interview crosscuts with footage of her feeding pet dogs with raw meat. The choice of this scene as a contributing element of her characterisation taps into the audiences’ prejudices relating to Western Sydney or, less specifically, ‘lower class’ white Australians (derogatively referred to as ‘bogans’). The fact that the dogs live in cages and are fed with this kind of food suggests aggression. The predominance of the cages in this sequence also alludes to the experiences of asylum seekers in Australia and their placement behind wired fences in detention centres. Raquel’s keeping of dogs in this manner could be interpreted as emblematic of Australian society’s role in endorsing the imprisonment of refugees. The scene in which the participants share a meal with the Masudi family is interspersed with close-ups of hands and food, emphasising the cultural differences that Raye and Raquel are currently confronted with. The practice of eating without utensils comes as a shock to some of the participants, and this challenging experience is depicted through alternating shots of Raquel’s unhappy face and the Masudis eating African food in the traditional way.
The camera cuts to a mid shot of Raye and Raquel after the refugee Maisara Masudi speaks of the rape she experienced. This shot allows for the reactions of both participants to be seen, with Raye hiding her emotional reaction behind her hand and Raquel exhibiting a shocked expression. The closeup on Raquel’s hand after this moment is used to foreshadow her physical offering of sympathy to Maisara – shown in a later shot where she reaches out and places her hand on the weeping refugee’s shoulder. The editing of shots together in this manner depicts the shift from confrontation to a growing understanding. The blurring of the Iraqi refugee’s face is used to protect his identity from anyone who might watch Go Back to Where You Came From. The use of facial blurring is a generic convention associated with the documentary and news report genres, which reminds the audience of the serious and non-fictionalised nature of this program. The body language in this shot suggests that Darren is somewhat uncomfortable – both men lean slightly away from each other and Darren is sitting somewhat awkwardly. The rescue of the boat by Australian authorities deliberately reminds the audience of earlier stock news footage of refugees being intercepted in a similar fashion. This extreme long shot allows for the audience to see both boats and the differences between them, and the placement of the participants’ boat in the foreground of the shot makes the decrepit condition of the sea vessel more evident. This sequence, and the appalling conditions it simulates, is designed to confront both the participants and the audience with the experiences of asylum seekers when they arrive on Australian shores. This scene ‘primes’ both for the transformative journey that is to come. This mid-shot casts Darren as the point of salience, revealing his anger at being duped by the ‘fake’ sinking boat. Darren’s aggressive body language is exemplified by his tilting towards the camera, his use of expressive hand gestures, and Roderick’s submissive downward gaze. The anger that Darren is indicative of his displeasure at being forced to experience the fear common to the ‘boat people’ he has complained about prior to his journey. Darren’s discomfort at being positioned in the same way as these asylum seekers demonstrates that he is not ready at this point to have his worldview or opinions challenged.
Episode 2 The arrival of the participants in Kuala Lumpur airport is filmed here from over-the-shoulder of Malaysian residents, representing a reversal of viewpoints. The TV program’s origin as an Australian series means that the audience will be mostly positioned from the viewpoints of the participants (who are often referred to as ‘normal, everyday Australians’ to reinforce this). The placement of the camera in the above way reminds the audience that the participants are now the foreigners, that they are now out of their comfort zone, an idea that is exemplified by their contrast with the hijabs in the foreground of the shot. A series of extreme long shots are edited together as a montage to establish the setting of Kuala Lumpur in Episode 2. These images demonstrate a juxtaposition between Malaysia and the previous Australian locations in Episode 1, setting the scene for ‘culture shock’ as the participants are faced with a world that is alien to their way of life.
The camera follows the participants into a household of Chin refugees. The placement of the camera behind the shoulders of the participants builds tension between the audience and their desire to see what the participants are seeing. Darren hesitates before entering a room, the camera hovering behind him, and the audience is unable to see either Darren’s face or the room he is about to enter – suggesting the discovery to come may subvert expectations or be beyond what the audience (and Darren) were expecting.
Long shots depict Adam bonding with a young Chin boy, with the boy impressively showcasing muay thai moves. Both Adam and the boy are shirtless and in shorts, suggesting a sense of kinship and shared experience. The growing bond between Adam and the boy shows the personal connection he is now making with refugees, something that challenges his previously-held views. The close-ups on Adam’s shocked face in the immigration raid (on which the participants are later taken) further exemplifies the dismantling of his prejudices now that he is faced with the human element of asylum seeking. Darren’s tired and annoyed body language is evident in the night-time scene where he is kept awake by the noises of Kuala Lumpur. Darren’s description of “bloody Muslims… starting their prayers” suggests cultural intolerance and an inability to accept the cultural norms of this new country, a stark contrast to the assimilationist metanarrative suggested by his opinions towards ‘queue-jumpers’ and Australian laws regarding refugees. The shaky handheld camera, subtitles for hushed speaking, and minimalist lo-fi lighting, are all representative of Darren’s complaints being a source of disruption in the Malaysian night.
Raye Colbey says goodbye to a Chin refugee child with whom she has created a bond. The mid shot captures both Raye and the child together, with Raye crouched down so she can look up into the child’s eyes – emphasising the sense of hope she speaks of when she tells her to ‘keep up dreaming’. The gaze of both figures as they look at each other shows their shared connection, with Raye’s open and hopeful expression displaying the change of heart she is experiencing towards ethnic groups in search of stability. The highly-manoeuvrable handheld camera follows the participants as they ‘ride along’ with the immigration raid in Malaysia. While investigating the aftermath of the sting operation, Adam finds a mosquito deterrent where one of the Chin slept. The smoking coil is symbolic of the fact that a Chin refugee was relaxing or sleeping here just minutes beforehand, unaware that his night was about to be disrupted by the raid. Adam finds this idea confronting and places the coil on top of the bunk. The camera lingers on the item after this, allowing the audience to undergo the same contemplative reflection that Adam is experiencing.
Episode 3 Raquel protests that she’s “not no fucking refugee” while waiting in the United Nations refugee camp in Kenya, indicating her continuing resistance to the social experiment’s attempts to build empathy. The use of crude language suggests aggression and anger, and confronts the audience with the idea that, despite everything that Raquel has experienced up until this point, she is still not ready to undergo any kind of emotional or mental transformation. Her resistance is exemplified by her implacable facial expression and the physical distance between herself and the other two participants in Kenya – a separation that is highlighted by the use of separate mid-shots to show both Raquel on her own and then Roderick and Raye together. The audience is shown a close-up of an African pit toilet shortly before Raquel’s discomfort comes to a breaking point. A mid-shot depicts Raquel turning away from the camera and, by this point, she has been shown smoking several cigarettes, highlighting the stress she is feeling. Raquel also hides her eyes behind large sunglasses during this sequence, attempting to mitigate the suffering to which the camera is privy. Her attempt to control what the camera records (and therefore what the audience also sees) demonstrates the level of stress she is experiencing in the face of such a significant and provocative experience. A series of shots depicting Congolese refugees are edited together while the participants move through the U.N. Camp. These shots vary between long shots filled with African faces, and close-ups of the refugees moving between wired-off areas. Raquel can be seen, on occasion, in these crowds with a frightened expression on her face. The editing of this sequence underscores feelings of claustrophobia and anxiety, with the contrast between Raquel and the refugees highlighting her stress, isolation, and impending movement towards a moment of catharsis. A series of close-ups are edited together in the Jordanian hospital, depicting the various war-damaged faces of Iraqi refugees. This sequence comes at a point in the participants’ journey where they have already undergone significant experiences and are moving towards an increased awareness of where asylum seekers have come from. The confronting nature of the Iraqis’ injuries metaphorically brings Adam, Darren, and Gleny face to face with the horrors of war causing the Iraqi diaspora that has led to refugees seeking asylum in Australia. Having now experienced some of the cultural isolation experienced by refugees, Raquel is able to empathise with the trauma caused by the separation of the Masudis from their family and homeland. Upon meeting relatives of the family still living in the U.N. Camp, Raquel embraces Maisara’s sister and is shown relaxing on camera for the first time since coming to Africa. The relieved, happy expression on Raquel’s face is in sharp contrast to the extreme discomfort the audience has previously witnessed, signalling a point of anagnorisis for the Australian.
A child from the Masudi family is shown in close-up, his face streaked with tears of sadness. This shot comes directly after the Masudi family has received a video message from their relatives over in the Australia, and shows the impact their own significant experiences have had on them. The placement of this shot in the narrative at this point by the director Ivan O’Mahoney is a conscious attempt to manipulate of the audience into experiencing their own moment of catharsis via the use of pathos. This represents the text’s function in offering the viewer their own journey of discovery in relation to the political discussion around asylum seekers. Prior to being asked by Dr David Corlett if they would be willing to travel directly into an Iraqi war zone, three of the participants are shown on a balcony overlooking the slums of Jordan. Gleny and Darren have donned have ‘gone native’ by donning scarves and other local items of clothing. In Darren’s case, this willingness to blend-in and to some degree assimilate contrasts with his previous irritation at the cultural differences that kept him awake in Kuala Lumpur. Whilst it probably isn’t true to say that he has reached a true point of transformation, Darren has certainly softened as a result of the experiences he has had. A montage of shots depicting the U.S. Army Base establishes the heavy military involvement in the Iraqi region that the participants have agreed to visit. Each successive shot helps to construct an impression that this area is extremely dangerous, something that is further exemplified by images of a nervous Darren and Gleny dressing in bullet-proof vests and military-issue helmets as they prepare for this final part of the social experiment. The inclusion of these tensionbuilding details allows the director Ivan O’Mahoney to establish this as the climax of their journey.
The Response An edited ‘highlights’ reel of Adam’s journey throughout the series is played while Adam watches on. Adam’s contrasting reactions to his previous views are made concurrently available to the viewer via an inset image on the bottom right hand corner of the footage. The sombre expression on the later Adam’s face as he watches himself demonstrates that he has undergone an emotional and intellectual transformation, that he no longer agrees with his previous views on ‘boat people’, and that he has developed a greater sense of maturity in response to his personal discovery.
The full depth of Raye Colbey’s transformation is made clear in the follow-up special to Go Back to Where You Came From called ‘The Response’. After reflecting on footage of herself from the series, Raye reveals that she has kept in touch with the Masudi family, maintaining an emotional connection that symbolises the radical ideological shift that she has undergone since the start of her journey. Sequential shots of Raye and one of the Masudi family in the live audience adhere to the 180 degree rule, an editing convention in which a shot of one person shows them facing towards the shot of the next person, and the next person facing back towards them. This establishing of continuity between two shots separated by a real physical space is a common editing technique when depicting close-ups. In this case it allows for the suggestion of a connection between Raye and Chris Masudi, a connection that makes evident her complete transformation as a result of her experiences with refugees.
