Tensions boil over when Chester lies to Mapplethorpe about a life-changing opportunity, and Fun Kid, Nimrod, is reunited with an important person from his past.

Enoch Mailangi, a writer for Crazy Fun Park, reflects on how the elements of a story were formed in the writers’ room to make meaning. Watch Episode 7 ‘Friends with Feelings’ and read the interview resource to support learning. 

Select one of the following prompts to reflect on the episode and information shared through the interview:

1. Enoch uses questions to inform the ideas, points of view, characters, events, issues and contexts in an episode. Fill a page with questions and answers about the characters from Episode 7 ‘Friends with Feelings’.

2. Write a page of reflections under the heading: ‘What was it like to be a teen in the 1980s?’ Research this topic using a combination of insights from Episode 7 ‘Friends with Feelings’ and oral histories/living memory (interview someone who remembers the 1980s).

3. Reference Enoch’s response to the final interview question and moments from Episode 7 ‘Friends with Feelings’ to support the following statement: Positive representation of First Nations peoples is important in the film and television industries. Use quotes from the interview and examples from the episode to support your ideas.

Take the position of a film critic for an online publication. Write, record or present to camera a review of this episode. Begin the review by introducing the episode, including the title, release date, and some background information. In the body of the review, describe and comment on the effectiveness of the:

• acting
• setting
• plot
• special effects.
  
  

Include an image and finish the review with a rating out of 5. This could take the form of coloured symbols. For example, stars, skulls or ice creams. 

In ‘Friends with Feelings’, Nimrod is reunited with his Aunty Winnie more than 30 years after his fatal accident at Crazy Fun Park. In the decades that have passed since Nimrod’s accident, Aunty Winnie has become an Elder.

Brainstorm thoughts on the relationship between Aunty Winne and Nimrod, beginning with this guiding idea as a title: ‘The bond between Aunty Winnie and Nimrod is strong and true.’ Document ideas about how time and place as media concepts are used to shape the represented relationship between family characters, Aunty Winnie and Nimrod. Consider how this relationship has changed and/or remained the same since they were last together in 1984. Source and cite quotations directly from the episode to support and guide your reflections.

Source a quote from Enoch Mailangi – one of the writers from the episode – that relates to the relationship between Nimrod and Aunty Winnie. This quote (from the resource below) can be included within your written response to reinforce how the relationship between Nimrod and Aunty Winnie was constructed and represented on screen.

During the pre-production and production process for the screen, clothes and accessories are hand-picked for each actor/actress by the costume designer. The costumes give the audience cues about who each of the characters are, within the world of the story.

As a class or in small groups, deconstruct the costumes worn by Rachael Maza, a Yidinji and Meriam woman who plays Aunty Winnie. Use investigating questions (what, where, when, who, why, how) to guide a discussion about the costumes and how these contributed to the representation of Aunty Winnie on screen.

• What is the T-shirt communicating about Aunty Winnie's activism?
• Where would Aunty Winne shop for clothes in 1984?
• When did the style from 1984 go out of fashion?
• Who are the designers/brand of the scarf?
• How might the costume designer have consulted with Rachael Maza to make sure she was comfortable with the costumes?

To view the slideshow in full screen, click to access the slideshow in a new tab: Aunty Winne Costume Slideshow