When the credits rolled on The Australian Dream after its premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival, it was met with a 10-minute standing ovation.

Applause at Australian film festivals is often a courtesy, especially on opening night, but for the adoration to go beyond 30 seconds is an achievement.

The documentary uses the experiences of former AFL player Adam Goodes to examine racial politics in Australia and is one of the best-reviewed, most-publicised Australian films of 2019.

Jump a few weeks ahead to when the film opens in Australia and it ranks 12th at the box office on opening weekend.

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What happened?

Box office earnings never define a film but it's still a loose measure of the public's interest in a topic, especially if it's a documentary.

A lot of variables factor into what people decide to see at the cinema, made trickier by the dominance of streaming services and the comfort of home, but many local filmgoers were not eager for The Australian Dream.

The most obvious justification to this is people want escapism when they go to the movies. True, the dominant films at the Australian box office now are Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Lion King and Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw.

Even the Australian film Palm Beach, which was met with mostly negative reviews, earnt over $3 million after being in cinemas for three weeks.

The Australian Dream had a chance to connect with a big audience. Goodes has a profile as one of Australia's great sportsmen. He's a multiple Brownlow medallist and an Australian of the Year — the man needs no introduction.

Another complication is the presence of the first documentary about Goodes to come out this year: The Final Quarter. The film debuted at the Sydney Film Festival in June before airing on Channel 10 to an audience of over half a million.

There's room for both films but it brings into question the appetite for stories that make racism in Australia the focus. We'll watch multiple variations of the same comic book movie formula each year but we've only got time for one Goodes documentary.

One of the locations where The Australian Dream performed best was Cinema Nova in Carlton, Melbourne. Talking to IF Magazine, general manager Kristian Connelly said it was a sign of the mindset of their patrons.

"That indicates that progressive audiences are receptive to the film and its message of the racial prejudice shown towards Adam Goodes," he said.

"I feel it is only appropriate to consider that the lack of enthusiasm shown the film in some markets is very likely to be due to a resistance to engage with a message that will be, for many, uncomfortable viewing."

The film is the first time Goodes has spoken in-depth about the toll of the saga. ( The Australian Dream )

Too much like homework

Australian history provides no comfort, but we get caught up on colonial myths. The poor turnout for The Australian Dream is like a denial detector.

In The Australian Dream there's a moment where an Indigenous man tells Goodes certain messages can only get through when people are willing to listen. Even critics who gave positive reviews did make the film a challenge to sell to audiences with praise like "2019's most essential movie". Statements like "powerful" and "must see" are often vague descriptors that don't always engage with the issues at play in any film.

Even when talking positively about Indigenous stories and art, there's a condescending way Australian critics engage with the themes under the guise of an ally.

The preachy tone of the conversation around The Australian Dream from the media made it sound too much like homework. The more you tell people they must act, the more likely they'll resist every urge to do so; Australians have always been prone to rebellion.

No introduction needed: Goodes is a multiple Brownlow medallist and an Australian of the Year. ( AAP: Dean Lewins )

During the saga when Goodes is booed during AFL matches after calling out racism in The Australian Dream we see there are sections of Australia resistant to acknowledging anything that harms the view we are "the lucky country".

The film articulates well, thanks to the sharp mind of writer Stan Grant, the notion that Australia is only just beginning to adjust its hearing when it comes to history and the shocking treatment of Indigenous Australians, which is still ongoing.

There's a recognition of the generational change happening to stand up to racism and our ability to understand the past and ensure it doesn't repeat. Grant points out that there's nothing more patriotic than the demand for your country to do better.

There's no doubt the film's distributor, Madman, did everything they could to promote the film with prime festival placement, strong word-of-mouth from advance screenings and extensive press coverage. For the film's second weekend a 2-for-1 ticket deal is being offered to anyone with an active AFL membership or AFL club membership.

The Australian Dream is a film that's ahead of its time in many ways, but, like Goodes, while its heart is in the right place, the nation did not rise to meet it.

The ticket sales prove the film's point.

Cameron Williams is a writer and film critic.