The title for the project derives from a noted pattern of behaviour in crabs when they are trapped in a bucket. While any single crab could easily escape, its efforts will be undermined by others, ensuring the group’s collective demise. The film metaphorically explores this ‘crab mentality’, which is prevalent in Australia, especially in smaller coastal communities like those in which the film is set. It’s my belief that human beings have an amazing ability to justify their own actions. Yet as we grow older, we tend to reflect on our past behaviour, and with the wisdom of age, often recognise that we behaved poorly. It’s in the quiet moments that we can honestly question our actions with perspective, ask if we have matured, and perhaps, forgive ourselves for our past actions and begin to move forward. Perhaps we come to understand how our own trauma has caused us to behave in certain ways, and begin to untangle the complex knots that are hidden within our psychology. With Mud Crab, I want to explore reminiscence in a way that makes the audience unsure of the veracity of the events being portrayed. As narrator, Jenny is unaware of her own selfdelusion. As an audience, we should be wary of the details that are being left out of the story. My hope is that the film can offer some justification for why it’s important to authentically reflect on your past as you grow older; for if you cannot do this, you will be forever bound to repeat the same mistakes. The tone of darkness in the film was undoubtedly influenced by the deaths of a number of close family members, and my experience of grief during the production process.