Midnight Oil documentary doesn't drill too deep

With frontman Peter Garrett - he of the intense blue eyes, shaven head and distinctive dance moves - the band worked its way up in the Australian music scene, from a pub rock band that grew increasingly popular and moved up to bigger venues and, eventually, international tours. Their four-decades-plus career is impressive by any measure.

Writer-director Paul Clarke's credits, mostly on the production side, range from The Wiggles and Spicks and Specks to documentaries about surfing, cars and the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, so he knows his way around Australian culture.

For those who, like me, didn't know a lot about the Oils beyond some major highlights and notable moments - songs like Beds Are Burning and Power and Passion, and the Sorry garments they wore at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics - this well-assembled documentary will be informative. Dedicated fans might know a lot of what's here already but there are plenty of old and new interviews, not just with band members but with many people who knew and worked with them - producers, fellow musicians, writers and politicians among them. Clarke uses stills and footage from a range of sources including news coverage and films shot by the Oils themselves. And, of course, there's plenty of music. The film moves along at a good pace and is consistently engaging.

This is an authorised documentary and that might be one reason why quite a lot is skimmed over or omitted. We don't get a lot on the band members' backgrounds or personal lives, though mention is made of them being north shore suburban kids; maybe that wasn't considered rock 'n' roll enough to explore. We are told that Garrett suffered two major traumas as a young man: his father died and not long after his mother was killed in a house fire that he survived.

Professionally, a lot is made of how Midnight Oil had trouble attracting interest from mainstream record labels early on and how they refused to temper their act to appear on the popular music show Countdown. But by the mid-1980s they were a mainstream success: their music was being released on what is now Sony and they had many albums, huge concerts and a lot of chart success.

Garrett ran unsuccessfully for the Nuclear Disarmament Party, having better luck as an ALP candidate, serving from 2004 to 2013 . But his parliamentary career - during which he held portfolios in education, the environment, heritage and the arts - is glossed over. Mention is made by former ministerial colleague Tanya Plibersek of him having achievements, but not what they were. Garrett having to make compromises when he was elected to parliament is also skimmed over. Respecting cabinet solidarity was necessary for him to be part of a Labor government. But there's nothing much here on what those compromises, including on uranium mining, were about.

Nor is there mention that his stance against US military bases - captured in the song US Forces - seemed to change. In interviews while in government he accepted that the rise of China and terrorism mean that Australia needs to have constructive relationships with its existing allies. While toeing the party line is part of being in politics, people's views do change over time, even if some fans might have been disappointed.

While this isn't a comprehensive documentary and doesn't dig too deep, it's certainly worth seeing for fans and those interested in Australian music.