Bogtown

A Comedy/Drama Feature Film written by Terry Litton, Rebecca O’Brien & Morgan Healy

When dodgy developer Wayne Miller (57) is offered the chance to make a fortune flooding his hometown he jumps at it, but enroute home he suffers a brain seizure which regresses him to the age of 17, with none of his memories! When young Wayne discovers “Bogtown” is in grave peril, he rallies the town to action with youthful enthusiasm, fighting not only a multinational corporation bent on profit and destruction, but a war with himself and the darkness he fled.

Concept

Dodgy developer Wayne Miller (57) has created a successful development empire in Hong Kong after escaping his outback one horse town of Boggabilla at 17. Now in the world of high-flying business deals and corporate intrigue, he comes across an opportunity to make a fortune by helping the Chinese Cotton Holdings (CCH) company flood his hometown – Bogtown as he calls it. With the distaste of his youth still fresh in his mouth he jumps at the opportunity and sets off for Australia to flood Bogtown. But the night before he is due to leave Brisbane, on en route to Bogtown, he suffers a catastrophic brain seizure where he regresses in his mind to that of a 17 year old boy! Stuck in a strange and futuristic hotel room with a woman he doesn’t know in his bed, strange grown up clothes and lots and lots of hair all over him, he makes a dash for it! After bursting out of the hotel foyer and into the brilliant daylight of modern Brisbane, he manages to flag down a sympathetic cabbie who agrees to take him to Bogtown for the contents of his wallet.

Once home Wayne reunites with his sister and the abusive father he fled, who are all much older than he reckons they should be. He also meets up with his former best mate Ben, whose girl Anna stole away with Wayne when he fled all those years ago, in the middle of the local rugby league grand final he was playing in.

With all the memories of his 17 year old self, Wayne discovers the plan to destroy Bogtown, and sets about fighting off his older self and the developers, including his girlfriend Denise, who is a key member of the CCH team. Just as Wayne and the town seem to be gaining the upper hand on the CCH, Wayne’s brain seizure recedes and he is suddenly 57 again! But now trying to sabotage the town’s resistance while convincing them he’s still 17!

With the town and the CCH at an impasse, Wayne proposes a reply of the 1982 grand final! Winner takes all. Original teams except where a player can’t be found. Wayne engineers this so Denise can recruit professional rugby players to rig the game and seal the deal. But just as Wayne thinks he’s got this in the bag he waivers. His rekindled love for community, family, friends, girls, 80s rock and especially rugby league start to sway him that maybe he made a mistake leaving all those years ago.

The game gets underway and as expected, the NRL led Goondiwindi (Gundi) team from over the border jumps out to an impressive lead. Wayne rallies his Bogtown boys as they fight back with the gritty (somewhat dirty) tactics of 1980’s rugby. As the clock winds down Wayne and an opposing player get into a scrap and both are sent to the sin bin – two plastic chairs at centre field. Wayne tells his opposite number about the rigged game and the player’s enraged, Says he won’t play for a dodgy setup like that. He tells his pro rugby colleagues and they start a bit of go slow. As the Bogtown boys get back in the game the CCH executives and Denise start to worry they’ve played themselves. As the clock runs down and scores level, best friend Ben is hit high by the Mayor of Gundi, who is as corrupt as they come, and knocked out. Wayne lines up a penalty kick from the sideline as time expires. Does he miss the kick and take the money he’s worked so hard for, or go for it and reclaim the life and community he ran away from all those years ago. As the kick sails through the goals the town erupts and the CCH take their leave.