Go Back to Where You Came from

Ivan O’Mahoney, the composer of the documentary ‘Go back to where you came from’ successfully depicts that discoveries lead inevitably to growth within all individuals. The documentary portrays a journey of self-discovery and knowledge due to what the participants are exposed to.   This is clearly shown through negative connotations, emotionally charged narrations, indirect interviews and camera angles.   These ideas are further portrayed through Shaun Tan’s graphic novel ‘The Red Tree’, which accentuates how discoveries lead to self-growth.
‘Go back to where you came from’ challenges 6 ordinary Australians and their preconceived notions about refugees and asylum seekers by embarking on a confronting journey. Raye Colby, a social worker from South Australia was one of 6 volunteering for this unique social-experiment. She started the journey as a ‘very closed minded’ and ‘tunnel vision’ individual with extremely strong views against refugees and asylum seekers. Episode One exposes Raye’s hate and strong opinion towards the subject matter, she stated ‘when the boat crashed into Christmas Island I thought serve you bloody bastards right!’. This statement is then contrasted with a description of the eutopia like surroundings which is described as a peaceful paradise, until the neighbours moved in, referring to the new refurbished detention centre. Through an indirect interview, Ray also admits that she ‘could have gone over there with a gun and shot the lot of them’. Just this dialogue alone creates a hatred tone and sets the scene.  
‘The red tree’ presents a series of images of a young girl who discovers a new world, throughout the pages of the graphic novel. Every page equates to a discovery of dark images encapsulating a sad feeling, but as the pages progress the images lighten, with colour which represents a new found happiness as a result of self-realisation.
The documentary successfully portrays a journey of self-discovery and growth within an individual....