Provocative, funny and profoundly moving, Bastardy is the inspirational story of a self proclaimed Robin Hood of the streets. For Forty years and with infectious humour and optimism, Jack Charles has juggled a life of crime with another successful career- acting.
Since founding the first Aboriginal theatre company in the 1970’s, Jack has performed with Australia’s most renowned actors (Geoffrey Rush, David Gulpilil, Bill Hunter) and directors in feature films (The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Bedevil) TV series and hundreds of plays.
Filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson follows Jack over seven years- gradually blurring the line between director and accomplice as Jack continually traverses the criminal and acting worlds. However the law finally catches up with Jack and when he faces a jail sentence he might not survive, he is forced to decide if he can go straight for the first time in his life.
Bastardy is the story of one man’s journey into the light.