Looking For Alibrandi
Josephine Alibrandi is a Catholic girl who narrates the film as text. She is in her final year of High school and attending St Martha's, a wealthy catholic school in Sydney. Her academic scholarship ensures her place at the school as she is not as well off as the population of largely wealthy Anglo-Celtic girls that attend the school. Her Italian origin has been the reason for much persecution towards her. Her background against the origins of her peers also provides much source of angst for Josie. She lives in a inner-city suburb with her single mother, who takes care of her. Their rather small home is the source of some embarrassment for Josie. Josie is essentially on a journey of discovery. This journey reveals much about her identity in which struggles so much to comprehend and to accept. Josephine searches for her own cultural identity, but finds herself coupled with her struggle as a poor student among many wealthy ones. The traditions of the Italian community have refused to die in Josie's family and she often questions some of the particular on-going ways. She says "culture is nailed into you so deep you can't escape it". Josie's journey of discovery essentially teaches her not to be ashamed of who she is, and to cherish the old ways of family. Josie, however in her journey of discovery fails to make a complete understanding of tolerance of others. When she overhears a girl at her school, Carly, complain about "wogs", when she says, “Wogs on handouts”, Josie breaks her nose.