ELLIE LINTON
An important character in the
film is Ellie Linton. Ellie comes
from a rural background. She is
a leader and the narrator for
much of the film.
 An important scene in this film is when Ellie kills a
young soldier with a makeshift bomb.
 While out on a scouting mission, Ellie’s group is
discovered after seeing her father and the rest of the
town imprisoned in the fairground. Ellie, Corrie and
Kevin are chased by enemy soldiers and in order to
escape, use the fuel tank of a ride-on lawnmower to
create an improvised explosive. Ellie’s plan is successful
and kills four of the young soldiers chasing them. Ellie
goes into shock after noticing the youth of one of the
dead soldiers and has to be forced by Kevin to flee the
scene.
Ellie is shocked by the youth of the dead enemy soldier.
She is largely concerned by the fact that she is also
a young woman and could be the same age as she is. It is
at this point in the film where Ellie starts to lose her
innocence.
 Analyse how the following techniques help show the
loss of innocence in Ellie’s character in this scene.,
 Close-ups
 Panning / Point of view shot
 Dialogue / Voiceover narration
 Lighting
 Music
 Setting / Props
1.
Shows Ellie’s horror and
obvious distress at having
killed someone. Especially
someone her age.
2.
Focuses the audience on the
youth of the young soldier
and the fact that Ellie is
traumatised by this detail.
3.
The panning shot from Ellie’s
point of view gives an overall
picture of the destruction she
has caused. Ellie is shocked
by what she is capable of.
 Despite the fact that she
has just killed someone
and feels scared and
vulnerable Ellie is often
shown using low angle
shots.
 This portrays her as
being someone who has
strength of character and
as being determined to
survive.
 In this scene the music is
slow paced, low key and
sounds very melodramatic.
You can hear violins
playing quietly in the
background. This use of
music reflects Ellie’s
emotions. She feels sadness
at the senseless death of a
young female soldier who
she sees as being just as
young and scared as she is.
 “She wasn’t much older than I
was and she looked just as
scared…I’ll never forget her”
 “It’s not your fault”
 “We were so innocent back then.
I feel like we were innocent right
up until yesterday. We didn’t
believe in Santa Claus or
anything like that . No we
believed in other fantasies. We
believed we were safe”
 These dialogue examples
convey the shock and fear
Ellie feels after being forced to
kill someone in order to
survive. It also reflects her
realisation that perhaps the
world isn’t the safe sheltered
place she believed it to be.
Like Santa Claus her childish
illusions are being destroyed.
She is forced to face the
terrifying reality that her and
her friends are no longer safe
in their own country.
 The low key lighting used on Ellie
in this scene reflects her inner
turmoil and conflicting emotions.
She is trying to deal with the fact
that she has just killed somebody
in order to protect herself and her
friends. By framing her face half in
shadow it implies that her
character is having to deal with
some sort of internal struggle.
 This series of close-ups are
significant in portraying
Ellie’s loss of innocence. Ellie
plays with a number of
childhood toys – pony, stuffed
doll, dollhouse. These objects
symbolise her childhood and
the naivety or innocence that
she no longer possesses after
killing the young female
soldier.
 Ellie appears to almost mourn
this loss. It was taken from
her rather than gradually
losing it through growing up
and maturing naturally.
 The setting of the treehouse
is important in conveying the
loss of innocence in Ellie’s
character. It is where she used
to go as a child with her friend
Corrie and is a place of
comfort and fond memories.
As Corrie and Ellie stare out
from the treehouse they see
an Australian plane set upon
and destroyed my enemies
fighter jets. The treehouse
can no longer provide the
safety and comfort it gave
Ellie as a child. Leaving the
treehouse is symbolic of Ellie
leaving her childhood behind
and becoming an adult.
 Watch the ending scene.
 How has Ellie developed as a character?
 Explain how visual and aural film techniques help
show this development.
 “Ok, um…alright, give
 “That was soo much
me your shirt. Quick!”
 “It’s not your fault”
bigger than I expected”
 “A month ago we were
just an average bunch of
teenagers…now we’re
soldiers trapped behind
enemy lines and fighting
to survive”
 “She wasn’t much older
than I was and she
looked just as scared…I’ll
never forget her”

 Ellie has changed significantly over the course of the film. In the
opening scenes Ellie was clearly your normal teenager concerned
with school, friends and boys. She feels terrified after learning
that Wirrawee has been invaded and is traumatised after killing
an enemy soldier.
 At the end of the film Ellie is now confident and self-assured.
She no longer has the same difficulty in rationalising the killing
of the enemy. It has simply become what she must do to survive.
She has moved from making impulsive decisions to organised
mass attacks on the invaders which she almost seems to enjoy.
Despite her loss of innocence Ellie still retains some of her
childlike qualities, as shown when she “pinky-swears” to Corrie
that she will come for her. Ellie has become a hardened soldier
but still has the fears of a teenager.