The Australian Dream is the life story of AFL legend Adam Goodes. Adam has a Scottish father and an Aboriginal mother, who was taken from her family as a child and knew little of her roots. It isn’t until adulthood that Goodes starts to learn about his cultural identity and build an understanding of who he is and where he comes from.
Goodes is mentally very strong and believes that the harder he works the more he’ll improve. With this attitude, he wins two Brownlow Medals and helps to lead the Sydney Swans to victory for the first time in 72 years. Goodes becomes a source of pride for Aboriginal communities all over Australia, but his public profile highlights the way that not all Australians receive the same treatment. As Goodes begins to experience racial vilification, his feelings about the game he loves changes. He finds himself having to smooth ruffled relations and publicly accept apologies from professionals who continue to behave poorly. Goodes also has to tolerate hurtful comments from players and spectators.
When a young teenage girl shouts, ‘Goodes, you’re an ape!’ during a game, Goodes decides that enough is enough and he must take a stand. He begins using his sporting profile as a platform to draw attention to injustice and racism and start conversations about these issues. The social media storm that follows has devastating consequences. Also, crowds continue to boo Goodes for standing up for Aboriginal rights. Ultimately, the relentless insults and hostility result in one of Australia’s best-ever AFL players leaving the game.
Goodes goes home to a place where he can heal – a place where he’s loved and accepted, where the spirits of his ancestors can lift him up and help him find the strength to continue standing up for what’s right, and a place from which he can educate and inspire others.
