'When small-town puppeteer Punch accidentally kills his baby during a drinking binge, his wife Judy — having suffered a violent beating — teams up with a band of outcast heretics to enact revenge on Punch and the entire town of Seaside.'
Source: Screen Australia.
'As someone who grew up in England, I have vivid memories of the annual seaside holiday with my parents and the inevitable Punch and Judy puppet show on the beach. Punch originated in Italy (Puncinello) and by the time I encountered him, in post-war Britain, his “act” was pretty much set in stone. Armed with his “slapstick”, he would lash out at anyone, including the long-suffering Judy. Other characters routinely included the baby, the dog who steals Punch’s sausages, a policeman and, rather mysteriously, a crocodile. Audiences watched with a mixture of awe (at the artistry of the puppetry) and horror (at the violence and brutality). A typical audience of children watching a show, most of them clearly terrified, is seen at the conclusion of Australian writer-director Mirrah Foulkes’s ambitious first feature, Judy & Punch.' (Introduction)
'Mirrah Foulkes chose to base her first feature film on a famous puppet show, writes Philippa Hawker'
'A screen actor since he was 10 years old, Damon Herriman is all too aware of the precarities in his line of work. He speaks to Steve Dow about the ups and downs of his career and his new film, Judy and Punch. “It has a dark fairytale vibe. You can watch Judy and Punch as an allegory or a feminist revenge tale, or you could watch it as a really entertaining fairytale fable, or both.”' (Introduction)
'The actor’s new film – a feminist take on the puppet show – is a dark revenge tale for the #MeToo age'
'Mirrah Foulkes chose to base her first feature film on a famous puppet show, writes Philippa Hawker'
'As someone who grew up in England, I have vivid memories of the annual seaside holiday with my parents and the inevitable Punch and Judy puppet show on the beach. Punch originated in Italy (Puncinello) and by the time I encountered him, in post-war Britain, his “act” was pretty much set in stone. Armed with his “slapstick”, he would lash out at anyone, including the long-suffering Judy. Other characters routinely included the baby, the dog who steals Punch’s sausages, a policeman and, rather mysteriously, a crocodile. Audiences watched with a mixture of awe (at the artistry of the puppetry) and horror (at the violence and brutality). A typical audience of children watching a show, most of them clearly terrified, is seen at the conclusion of Australian writer-director Mirrah Foulkes’s ambitious first feature, Judy & Punch.' (Introduction)
'The actor’s new film – a feminist take on the puppet show – is a dark revenge tale for the #MeToo age'
