Sunray is a small town that can’t complain about a lack of sun: it is in the middle of the Australian outback. The inhabitants are proud of ending second in the ‘Tidy Town’ competition. To judge by Barrett’s début, there are however not many of them. So it is not surprising that the sisters Vicky-Ann and Dimiti Hurley are looking forward to the arrival of the new DJ at the local radio station. They are in their twenties and urgently in need of a man. Vicky-Ann, the elder, has had a boyfriend, but he is no longer available after a severe accident with a chainsaw. Dimiti, who cycles round aimlessly in circles, is a shy virgin with a great interest in fish. She apparently takes with a pinch of salt the stories of her sister, who bluntly reports that the new resident is her fiancé. This DJ, Ken Sherry, turns out to be an ageing hippy with, how should we say, something fishy about him. He also keeps asking about the freshness of the shrimps in the Chinese restaurant where Dimiti works, but doesn’t order them. Something strange is going on, but that doesn’t stop the sisters opening the hunting season.Love Serenade is produced by Jan Chapman, who also produced Jane Campion’s films. Barrett’s film shares with a film like Sweetie the sad-comic and satirical look at love and sex in the Australian bush. The melancholy emptiness of the town is beautifully captured in the widescreen photography of Mandy Walker.
