West
Clip 1: ‘Can’t get much better than her’
3 min 0 sec
Taken from the feature West (2007)
Original title classification MA – this clip chosen to be M
Availability of the complete title
This clip contains high-level coarse language.
Curator’s clip description
Pete (Khan Chittenden) and Jerry (Nathan Phillips) get drunk and stoned in their usual hangout, a culvert beneath a bridge, before going to the pub. Pete is keen on a girl there, but Cheryl (Gillian Alexy) chooses Jerry. Kenwood (Anthony Hayes) tries to get free dope from Pete, but he refuses. Pete is thinking about Cheryl.
Curator’s notes
The scene establishes the drug-soaked haze that Pete, in particular, spends a lot of his time in, as well as the sense of sexual aggression that these young men and women regard as normal. The giving or withholding of free drugs is a sort of currency here. Pete’s refusal to give Cheryl anything to ‘put a smile on her face’ contributes to her decision to move on to Jerry. When Pete refuses Kenwood’s similar request, he sets up the conflict that will have a great impact on all their lives.
Paul Byrnes, curator
