In 2017 the General Motors Holden factory in Elizabeth closed down. It was the last large scale automotive manufacturing facility in Australia to close. Pete Williams, the director of the new feature film Emotion is Dead, is from Elizabeth and he marks this closing of the factory as a huge event in Australian history. 

“In 2017 that factory closed and that was the last car manufacturer in Australia. So after that factory closed there was a huge spike in unemployment, in depression, marriage breakups and even suicide. A lot of my family and mates from school worked in that factory and I saw the effects, socially and economically, of that closure. I was determined to tell that story,” says Williams.

Thus, Emotion is Dead was born. The film follows an expressionless young man named Brock (Jude Turner) who lives in Elizabeth and regularly visits the closed down Holden factory. We know his father worked at the plant, and his mother is a die hard fan of Holden driver Peter Brock, but we are unsure of the complete effects that it had on the family.

Brock is from a low socioeconomic background and he has his own company as a gardener whilst also studying at university. As the film progresses, Brock begins a scheme to steal money from the people whose gardens he tends to which sets off a chain of events that lead to an explosive finale.

Williams says that one of the main themes that the film explores is generational inequality and you can see this clearly through the character of Brock.

“How do young people buy their first house? How do they climb the social ladder in society? Is it possible to do it legally in this current situation? And Brock doesn’t think it is possible to do it legally. He’s a genius and someone at university but he doesn’t come from a family of wealth so what do you do?” Says Wiliams.

The film also contains a plethora of emo music from the 2000’s and the music gives the film character and style. It also reflects the feeling of the characters and the atmosphere that Williams is trying to represent. 

“When I was Brock’s age I lost a good friend who took his own life in Elizabeth and the music that got me through that time was punk rock and emo music. It really made me feel because I think I went into a similar sort of stasis that Brock does where he pushes all of his emotion down and doesn’t feel anything because he doesn’t want to feel pain. And the only way I could feel was at punk shows or listening to that music,” says Williams.

The film also does a great job at capturing the beauty of suburban Adelaide, as well as presenting real Australian characters. In a film culture that is populated by American and English productions, it is refreshing to see Australians accurately represented on screen.

“I was away from Australia for 15 years and hadn’t visited much and when I came back I fell in love with the country again. I recognised how special some of our characters are and our people and our places. Even some of our low socio economic suburbs, working class suburbs I saw some beauty there and some authenticity. So I just wanted to capture that on screen,” says Williams.

Ultimately the idea at the film's core is that Australia has fallen away from the heart and pride that we used to have in creating our own products. It uses the closing of the Holden factory to present this idea of depersonalisation in the working class. There is no self identity in our work anymore because we are so separated from it. The film explores the effects this has on our work, mental health and economy.

“The pride in producing something of significant value, a physical thing, has been taken away from Australian society. And the film really wants to ask the question: How do working class people find dignity and pride in what they do in this modern economy, especially young people,” says Williams.



Emotion is Dead is fun, stylish and well acted. All the different threads compliment each other very well and the film both feels Australian and comments on what we’re living through in Australia right now.

The film is playing at the Ritz Cinemas in Randwick on August 29 and Williams will be there for a Q and A session afterward.