Bad Boy Bubby

I've never felt this patriotic in my life. Bad Boy Bubby might be the best film to ever come out of this country. If you thought Forrest Gump was too saccharine (and just plain utter wank) then maybe Bubby's Big Day Out is more your speed (I know it's mine). Bubby is a ~35 year old man who has been locked inside his home since birth with an abusive mother who refuses to let him leave, citing that he'll die from the nuclear fallout in the air, a lie to keep him at bay. One day his father returns home, only to berate and abuse him for not being 'normal'. Uh oh! You shouldn't have said that! One thing leads to another and soon he finds himself out in the real world for the first time ever. And that's when it really kicks off. Practically every taboo in the book is portrayed here, utilising some of the sharpest form of gallows humour I've witnessed. Incest, domestic abuse, animal abuse, rape, religion, it's all up for grabs, gravely exacerbated by the fact that the Bubster is mentally handicapped, not entirely aware of what's always occurring. All he can really do is regurgitate what's been said to him, leading to a series of cringe-inducing situations whenever he interacts with anyone. It's one of the darkest films I've ever seen, equal parts comedy and tragedy, with a tone so uniquely Australian. It's a tough one to get through, but if you can stomach it, you're treated to one of the more heartfelt stories ever put to screen amidst all the doom and gloom. SIDE NOTE: At one point he finds himself a part of a band where he monologues on stage all the terrible things people have said to him, and I can't help but be reminded of TISM.