Sex and subculture: Bruce Beresford's Puberty Blues

The film Puberty Blues exploded into Australian cinemas in the summer of 1981. Puberty Blues was a savage, satirical and sometimes downright frightening study of a 'surfie' subculture in Sydney in the early 1970s. Directed by the Australian, Bruce Beresford, the film was based on the cult autobiographical novel of the same name, written by teenagers Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey in 1979. An instant success at the box office, it was a wild ride, an uninhibited view of teenage life. Set in Cronulla, a south Sydney beachside suburb, the film traces the story of protagonists Debbie (Nell Schofield) and Sue (Jad Capelja). The characters' story begins in 'Dickheadland' and they slowly become part of the coolest gang on their beach, with all this encompasses - drunken parties, fumbling sex and getting high