Australian author Helen Garner was the first woman to receive the National Book Council’s Book of the Year Award, for her debut novel Monkey Grip. Now considered a modern classic, this early example of Australian grunge literature explores the tense relationship between a single mother and her heroin-addicted lover. Ken Cameron’s film offers a nuanced reflection on the complexity of love, set against the realities of inner-city sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll in 1970s Australia. A young Noni Hazelhurst won an AFI Award for her sensitive portrayal of conflicted protagonist Nora, giving voice to a character more-oft reduced to sensationalist headlines. The film features an original soundtrack of contemporary rock music performed by the Divinyls. ‘Few Australian films are as evocative of the time and place of their production – or of the period in which they are set – as Ken Cameron’s adaptation of Helen Garner’s award-winning novel Monkey Grip…Its atmospheric re-creation of a bohemian phase in Melbourne suburban life…has not been superseded.’ – Metro Magazine Presented on 35mm film prints from the NFSA collection. Presented in partnership with Canberra Writers Festival.