Free-Doom Down Under Review
“Grief is a transitory emotion. Unless you allow yourself to grieve, you can’t move on from your loss”
Sulochana Dissanayake and husband Dinuka Liyanawatte’s new work-in-development, Free-Doom Down Under, is an honest introspection on migration from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Kaurna Country, Adelaide. A journey into the grief of leaving home, identity and community behind for the hope of a brighter future for their children, this is also a roadmap through, toward what can be found on the other side.
Presented as part of OzAsia, Free-Doom Down Under is a multidisciplinary work that opens with a short documentary projected onto the back wall of The Mill’s black box Breakout Space. We are immediately drawn in by a blank screen and the candid audio of Sulo and Dinuka coaching their two young children Dasharath and Thisaarya for their documentary interviews. Cut to hand-held footage by Thisaarya as Dasharath draws over Dinuka’s bare back in black pen while the family lounge in their living room, the adults discussing paperwork needed for job applications.
Through showcasing intimate conversations and everyday moments captured on film over the family’s first year settling into their new home, Free-Doom Down Under masterfully balances the good with the difficult. Particularly moving is the evident skill of Dinuka’s camera work—an inherited trade passed down his family for generations—juxtaposed against footage of him practicing his new apprenticeship as a painter, unable to continue his profession in Australia. Rather than making any value judgements, however, instead the work simply presents the stark reality of what is. With new opportunities also comes loss, and these two opposites often move in tandem. This work is an exploration of how we navigate these sparring realities.
Sulo is ever present in the piece as a live facilitator through the interdisciplinary experience, and her skill in mediation and community collaboration is evident. Wearing a golden skirt and exuding a warmth that envelops the space around her, Sulo expertly guides the audience from the moving images on screen towards active audience participation, always remembering to give space for breath in between.
Sulo subsequently turns her family experiences outward, inviting audience members to answer the question “what have you buried to become an Australian”. Here we are directed towards a small, sandy ‘graveyard’ constructed at the opposite side of the room, filled with hand-sized wooden crosses. Audience members are invited to answer the prompt by hanging written responses onto their own cross. Meanwhile a photo gallery of local community members is screened, each photo captioned with the subjects’ answer to the same question. First, second, third generation Australians with migrant stories that span multiple continents give pause to everyone in the room to reflect on their own histories of migration to Australia.
Originally pitched as a satirical puppetry show exploring the comedic moments of disconnect and confusion when transplanted into a new culture, the emergence of this far more personal piece is a welcome adaption. Free-Doom Down Under is a moving and masterful work, showcasing the richness of new perspectives. At the heart of the piece lies a family blueprint for moving through the weight of tough decisions with grace, humour, honesty and the strength of community connection. Something that transcends the performance itself and leaves a feeling of being closer to the place we are in, as well as the journey through which we found ourselves there.
Free-doom Down Under was developed through The Mill's 2025 OzAsia Festival Residency. Images: courtesy of The Mill. Photographer: Daniel Marks