Mitchell Withers’ powerful documentary short For the Boys is an intimate portrayal of Australia’s first openly queer former AFL player, Mitch Brown – a trailblazer in Australian sporting culture.
Bringing audiences into Mitch’s dedication to his sons, the complexity of his relationship with a game that shaped him, and the winding path to liberating himself, For the Boys explores redefining relationships with masculinity, queer identity and the potential of what football can be, and asks this timely question: When sport holds up a mirror, what shines back?
The film is less about Mitch’s ‘coming out’ moment, and rather serves as a meditation on the environments that didn’t allow him to come out.
Ahead of the film’s sold out premiere screenings at the Melbourne International Film Festival, director Mitchell Withers writes about the inspiration behind the making of For the Boys.
“Mitch is a unique character and an incredibly refreshing voice in this space.”
Written by Mitchell Withers
Growing up in the suburbs of Perth in the 90’s, Aussie Rules provided the blueprint for masculinity. It embodied strength, physicality and stoicism. My community club was a hive of dads and sons seeking connection over a game and set of customs they understood.
But what happens when that sense of community becomes a bind, where the very act of connecting with others disconnects you from yourself This is a phenomenon I have wrestled with and I know is a common experience, particularly amongst boys and young men.
For the Boys interrogates this tension through the first-person narrative of Mitch Brown, the first current or former AFL player to come out publicly as queer.
Mitch is a unique character and an incredibly refreshing voice in this space. He is vulnerable, candid and has the insight and strength of character to speak to not only how he was shaped by an overwhelming desire to belong, but also how he was an active participant in the negative behaviours this longing perpetuated.
The spine of the film follows Mitch’s journey reconciling his relationship with the game of Aussie Rules. From revisiting his junior club, to reflecting on his ten years in the AFL and finally, his return to playing in the Renegade Pub Football League. The film is less about Mitch’s ‘coming out’ moment, and rather a meditation on the environments that didn’t allow him to come out.
Mitch is someone from within football, but he occupies multiple worlds, and there are very few people who do. Football can be quite polarising, you’re either all in or all out. Both Mitch and the Pub Football League speak to the grey. For the Boys is fundamentally a story of hope and a celebration of how football has the ability to tap into the very essence of community.
Keep an eye on Cinema Australia for upcoming screening announcements.
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