Movie Reviews

Wow. This was a really, really amazing movie.

Rabbit-Proof Fence takes place in 1931 Australia. "Half-caste" children (meaning children born of an aboriginal mother and a white father) were stolen away from their tribes and mothers under the authority of A.O. Neville, "Cheif Protector of Aboriginies" (played by Kenneth Branagh). The British administrators of Australia at the time were trying to stop the spread of these half-caste children, which according to Neville, were an "unwanted third race" living in Australia. Children taken from their homes under Neville's authority were sent to what could best be described as "Europeanization camps", and instructed on how to live a European lifestyle (which included not being able to speak their native language).

That's the backstory. The movie itself focuses on two sisters and a cousin who were taken from their mothers and sent to one of these camps. Not content to adapt to the new life, they escape from the camp and attempt to make their way back home (a 1,500 mile journey).

I guess it's a pretty simple story, but the history involved, as well as the cinematography and the characters, make it very fascinating. All of the actors are excellent, particularly Brannagh, but especially this older aboriginal guy who plays a tracker, employed by Brannagh/Neville to locate and apprehend the three missing girls. It was amazing how much presence this guy had in the film, and how much he could communicate without speaking more than a few lines throughout the entire film.

The scenery and cinematography are also really awesome. The director (Phillip Noyce) can't take much credit for the scenery, but he does do a great job of shooting the scenery to really emphasize the scope of the girls' journey and the dangers they face.

Unfortunately, this is one of those movies that's going to be overlooked by pretty much everyone. On the positive side, it was really great to hear that Harris Road Cinemas (which played Rabbit-Proof Fence as part of their "Wednesday Night Art Film" series) was actually sold out for this show. If you weren't able to see this in the theatre, you should definitely check it out on video in April.