All He Needs Is Love.|Sep. 01, 1993|Australia | Italy|114 Min.|n/A
Genre: Comedy;Crime;Drama
Description: In an industrial area of Adelaide, Bubby, a 35-year-old man with mental challenges, lives in a rundown house with his abusive mother, Florence, a religious fanatic. Bubby has never stepped outside, as his mother convinced him the air is toxic and Jesus will punish him if he leaves. The two share an incestuous relationship, and Bubby’s only companion is a pet cat, which he accidentally kills with clingwrap. One night, his father Harold returns after abandoning Florence years earlier to become a preacher. Harold, unaware he had a son, quickly grows to despise Bubby and mocks his mental condition.
Harold regularly beats Bubby and encourages Florence to do the same. Fed up with the abuse, Bubby suffocates his parents with clingwrap and ventures outside for the first time. He is picked up by members of The Salvation Army and wanders into town. However, his social ineptitude leads to public harassment. Later, he meets a rock band who give him a ride and let him assist with setting up their gig.
The band grows fond of Bubby but is unsettled by his odd behavior. After reading a newspaper report about his parents’ murder, they send him to stay with their friend Dan. During dinner, Bubby touches a woman inappropriately, leading to his arrest. In jail, he refuses to speak to the warden and is punished by being placed in a cell where he is raped by another inmate, “The Animal.” The prison chief later deems him rehabilitated and releases him.
Cast director: Rolf de Heer
Cast actor: Nicholas Hope, Ralph Cotterill, Claire Benito, Syd Brisbane, Ullie Birvé, Natalie Carr, Celine O’Leary, Carmel Johnson, Grant Piro, Audine Leith
Original name: Bad Boy Bubby