Having said that, they are the exact same upper class twats who
would do their darndest to avoid eye contact with anyone of Aboriginal
decent if they were walking down a street to arrive at their art
exhibition on time. It's these sort of people that continually stop any
sort of commercial successful Australian film being released, in favour
of 'heart breaking, touching dramas' that no one outside of that little
cocoon really care about seeing. Heck, look at the last three or four
Aussie movies that have actually made a decent bit of ban - Kenny (about a guy that shovels shit), Crackerjack (about a drunk stoner who plays lawn bowls), The Wog Boy (about as stereotypical of a culture as you can get) - the Aussies creators of Saw (a flick about a sadistic killer) had to go overseas to get their flick made, and it's huge!
So while "Joe Public" is never likely to see a film like Ten Canoes ("Subtitles? No Thanks!"), it should be noted that on this one occasion - I actually agree with those pompous arts fools. Ten Canoes is fantastic. It really is.
A
parable (and it is in every sense of the word) of forbidden love from
Australia's mythical past, narrated by Australian icon David Gulpilil
and starring his son Jamie as the covetous youth Dayindi, Ten Canoes is a ground-breaking glimpse into aboriginal life centuries before European settlement.
Shot
in and around the Arafura Wetlands of Central Arnhem Land, Rolf de Heer
and the People of Ramingining have created an amazingly relatable tale,
with emotion, humour and heart while being true to the traditions of
the aboriginal people.
At the end of the day, it's the extremely engrossing form of storytelling that makes Ten Canoes
such a joy to watch. It's a story told by one man, about another man
telling a story to a boy. It switches abruptly between the various
narratives, much like an ancient Pulp Fiction, and is rich with symbolism and a majesty that seems to be part of the culture.
At
the same time, the film is very fun and relatable. There are jokes
about farting, the men discuss poo, the women chatter like 'magpie
geese' - subtle references which prove that there isn't as much of a
difference between the two cultures as everyone is forced to believe.
A
truly enjoyable film, with an engrossing story - which like the boy in
the film - will have you frustrated at its length, but the journey will
eventually draw you in. All it takes is some patience.
Believe what you hear, Rolf De Heer has done it again, Ten Canoes is something to behold. DVD
Extras The
special features are just as worthy of their own release as the film
itself is. Most significantly is the series of documentaries, which I
actually saw before the film when they screened on SBS around the time
of the film’s release. It documents the challenges behind the scenes
which De Heer faced as he attempted to deal with having to bring back
cultural traditions that had been all but destroyed for decades.
There
are troubles on the set with the cast (none of which are professional
actors), troubles with communication, heat, culture. In fact, the
journey De Heer and his cast face while making the film is just as
gripping and meaningful as the tale of Ten Canoes itself.
Also
included are various options of how to view the film, even with the
ability to watch the film completely in the aboriginal language, which
may be tough for some, but it's amazing how well the story plays out
without subtitles.
Well worth a look. Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: 70% 
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