Bad Boy Bubby (1993) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

An isolated man enters society, faces cruelty and rejection, and builds confidence and intimacy through a new identity and his relationship with Angel.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

A Life Behind Closed Doors

Bubby lives in isolation under his mother's control and believes the outside air is toxic. After Harold returns and joins the abuse, Bubby kills his parents and leaves the house for the first time.

Key Events

• Bubby's Isolated Life — Bubby has never left home, believing his mother’s warnings that the outside air is toxic. Characters: Bubby Location: Squalid house in an industrial area of Adelaide
• The Cat Is Suffocated — Bubby inadvertently suffocates the household cat with clingwrap. Characters: Bubby Location: Family house
• Harold Returns Home — Bubby's father returns after years away, having left to pursue preaching. Characters: Bubby Location: Family house
• Harold Abuses Bubby — Harold mocks and beats Bubby, and encourages Florence to beat him as well. Characters: Bubby Location: Family house
• Bubby Kills His Parents — After enduring abuse, Bubby suffocates his parents with clingwrap. Characters: Bubby Location: Family house

First Encounters with Society

Outside, Bubby is picked up by Salvation Army members and faces harassment in town. A rock band offers temporary company, but after reading about his parents' murder they send him to Dan.

Key Events

• First Steps Outside — After killing his parents, Bubby ventures outside for the first time. Characters: Bubby Location: Adelaide
• Salvation Army Pickup — Members of The Salvation Army pick Bubby up as he begins wandering. Characters: Bubby Location: Adelaide
• Public Harassment — People harass Bubby because of his social ineptitude and unusual behavior. Characters: Bubby Location: Town centre
• The Band Takes Him In — A rock band gives Bubby a lift and lets him help set up a gig. Characters: Bubby Location: On the way to a band gig
• The Murder Report — The band reads a report about the parents' murder and infers that Bubby killed them. Characters: Bubby Location: With the rock band

Punishment and Rejection

Bubby is arrested after fondling a woman and is assaulted in prison before being released. A conversation in a church and another violent rejection at a pub deepen his sense that there is no place for him.

Key Events

• Sent to Dan — The band decides Bubby should stay with their friend Dan. Characters: Bubby Location: Dan's residence
• Arrested at Dinner — While out for dinner with Dan, Bubby fondles a woman and is arrested. Characters: Bubby Location: Restaurant
• Prison Assault — The warden sends Bubby to a separate cell, where an inmate called The Animal rapes him. Characters: Bubby Location: Prison cell
• Released from Prison — The prison chief deems Bubby rehabilitated and releases him. Characters: Bubby Location: Prison
• A Church Conversation — A man called The Scientist tells Bubby that humans must take responsibility rather than rely on God. Characters: Bubby Location: Church
• Rejected at the Pub — Bubby fondles another woman and is beaten by her friends. Characters: Bubby Location: Pub

The Confidence of Pop

Bubby returns home and adopts the Pop persona, then re-enters public life and performs with the band. His happiness at caring for a stray cat is cut short when he finds it dead, after which Angel meets and cares for him.

Key Events

• Bubby Becomes Pop — Overwhelmed, Bubby returns home, wears his father's clothes, and assumes the Pop persona. Characters: Bubby, Pop Location: Family house
• A New Cat — As Pop, Bubby finds a stray cat and vows to care for it. Characters: Bubby Location: Town
• Bubby Performs on Stage — Bubby joins the rock band on stage, repeating phrases he has heard; the audience responds positively. Characters: Bubby, Pop Location: Club
• The Stray Cat Is Killed — Bubby returns to feed the stray cat and finds local hoodlums have killed it. Characters: Bubby Location: Town
• Bubby Meets Angel — Angel, a nurse caring for people with physical disabilities, encounters Bubby after he is upset. Characters: Bubby, Angel Location: Near Angel's care centre

Love and Violent Closure

Bubby and Angel become lovers, and his performances gain wider success. At dinner, Angel's parents humiliate her and demand that Bubby leave; he kills them, and he and Angel later have multiple children.

Key Events

• Bubby Meets Angel — Angel, a nurse caring for people with physical disabilities, encounters Bubby after he is upset. Characters: Bubby, Angel Location: Near Angel's care centre
• Bubby and Angel Become Lovers — Angel and Bubby become lovers as she provides care and companionship. Characters: Bubby, Angel Location: Care centre
• Angel's Parents Humiliate Her — At dinner, Angel's parents mock her weight; Bubby curses God and they demand he leave. Characters: Bubby, Angel, Angel Location: Angel's family home
• Bubby Kills Angel's Parents — Bubby kills Angel's parents with clingwrap after they demand that he leave. Characters: Bubby, Angel, Angel Location: Angel's family home
• Bubby and Angel Have a Family — Bubby and Angel continue their relationship and later have multiple children. Characters: Bubby, Angel Location: Unspecified

Story Breakdown

• Household Isolation — Bubby's life is shaped by confinement, abuse, and his mother's warnings about the outside world.
  • Fear of Outdoors — Bubby believes the air outside is toxic and that Jesus will punish him if he leaves.
  • Parents Return — Harold returns after years away and joins Florence in abusing Bubby.
  • Escape Through Violence — Bubby suffocates his parents with clingwrap and leaves the house.
• First Public Encounters — Bubby attempts to navigate a society that reacts harshly to his behavior.
  • Town Harassment — People in the town centre harass Bubby for his social ineptitude and strange behavior.
  • Band's Temporary Welcome — A rock band gives him a lift and lets him help set up a gig.
  • Murder Report — The band reads about his parents' murder and sends him to stay with Dan.
• Institutional Rejection — Bubby's actions lead to arrest, abuse in prison, and further alienation.
  • Restaurant Arrest — Bubby is arrested after fondling a woman during dinner with Dan.
  • Prison Assault — The warden sends him to a separate cell, where The Animal rapes him.
  • Release and Rejection — Released as rehabilitated, Bubby is later beaten after fondling a woman at a pub.
• Adopting Pop — After returning home in despair, Bubby uses his father's clothes and a new persona to face the world again.
  • Father's Clothes — Bubby wears Harold's clothes and assumes the personality of Pop.
  • Caring for a Cat — As Pop, he finds a stray cat and vows to look after it.
  • Cat's Death — He returns to feed the cat and finds it killed by local hoodlums.
• Music and Recognition — Bubby re-engages with the rock band and discovers that audiences respond to his unusual performance.
  • Club Performance — He joins the band on stage and repeats phrases he has heard from others.
  • Audience Success — The crowd responds positively to his bizarre performance.
• Love and Family — Angel offers Bubby care and companionship, though the relationship reaches a violent crisis at her family home.
  • Meeting Angel — Angel encounters Bubby while he is upset and brings him to the care centre.
  • Becoming Lovers — Angel and Bubby become lovers, and he continues performing with the band.
  • Dinner Confrontation — Angel's parents mock her, and Bubby kills them after they demand he leave.
  • Children Together — Bubby and Angel continue their relationship and later have multiple children.

Directed by

Rolf de Heer

Key Cast

• Nicholas Hope — Bubby
• Ralph Cotterill — Pop
• Claire Benito — Mum
• Syd Brisbane — Yobbo
• Ullie Birvé — Robbed Woman