Last Crop, The

1990, 58 Minutes

A television dramatisation of Elizabeth Jolley’s short story 'The Last Crop', which provides a unique perspective on Australian culture.

Ann (Kerry Walker) cleans for a living. She confronts problems like a vacuum cleaner sucks up dirt from the carpet. She shares everything she has with her two moody children (Noah Taylor, Sarah Hooper) and her equally erratic neighbours.

She also shares everything her rich and constantly out-of-town employers have. While Ann vacuums her clients’ penthouses, her friends enjoy the million dollar views, luxury appointments, home gyms, cocktails by the pool - the things they have always wanted, but could never in their wildest dreams afford.

When Ann’s not sorting out the lives of her family and friends, she’s thinking about her father’s property in the country and how nice it would be to live there. Only one little international mining company stands in her way. But Ann, used to beating the system in her own quiet way, is not about to let that spoil her plans.

The Last Crop is a wonderfully honest film. Its dry, quirky style portrays Australian life in a refreshingly unfashionable way: silent hope for better things and that great Australian theme - the triumph of the underdog.

A Zenith/Film Australia Production in association with the Australian Film Commission and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for Channel Four Television Company Limited. © National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.