High Ground

High Ground is going to be inevitably compared to Jennifer Kent's The Nightingale, but both films are ultimately distinguishable. What's clear about High Ground is that it's no easy watch at all. It's a confronting look at post-colonial Australia, the inherent racism and corruption in the Australian law enforcement, and the atrocities committed against Aboriginal Australian tribes. It's important that we reflect on the horrors of our history to learn from our mistakes, so I'm glad that High Ground has a heightened focus on the Indigenous Australian perspective and received a wide release. It's a film that's certainly angry, but it also has important intentions and themes in mind, reminding us how violence begets violence and shows us the consequences of cultural division.

As such, High Ground strives with authenticity and grit. It has excellent acting from first-time performers Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Witiyana Marika and Esmerelda Marimowa, and it's great to see Indigenous Australian representation. There's also equally strong performances from Simon Baker, Callan Mulvey and Jack Thompson, and while Caren Pistorius and Ryan Corr do their best, they are given little material to shine. Andrew Commis's cinematography is spectacular, which highlights the beauty and harsh nature of the Northern Territory, and the decision to include a fully Aboriginal soundtrack is smart. From graceful direction to handsome production values, everyone involved in High Ground worked hard to create a strong representation of Aboriginal culture and it's what shines most in this film.

High Ground's themes were working well for me and I was invested in the buildup... until the last 20 minutes. That's where the tension fizzled out, as the writing lost track of logic, failed to utilise the importance of its character roles and muddled the film's thematic depths to the point that it rubbed me off the wrong way. While I'm starting to see the intentions behind the ending, its sense of incompleteness and narrowness just doesn't sit right and undermines the strengths of High Ground. It was where I realised how much I didn't care about the shallow supporting character work, it messed up the slow burn and there was also questionable editing. It's an ending I found to be so disappointing that it almost ruined the film. Don't get me wrong, High Ground is one of the better Australian films out there that has good intentions in mind and its authenticity and representation are enough to warrant a watch. It has enough to fuel some much-needed conversations in our Australian society, but these could've been driven greatly by a stronger impact, which High Ground doesn't fully reach.

Plot and Characters (5/10) Presentation and Direction (7/10) Acting (9/10) Script (4/10) Setting/Locations (9/10) Tone (8/10) Cinematography/Visuals (8/10) Sound/Music (9/10) Editing (5/10) Pacing/Length (6/10)

Score: 70/100.

LIKES: +Authentic portrayal of Aboriginal culture +Overall powerful presentation +Brilliant performances +Beautiful, harsh locations +Stunning cinematography +Realistic sound design, great music choices +Gritty, bleak tone that provokes the film's themes

DISLIKES: -Disappointing conclusion almost undoes everything -Abrupt, distracting editing -Some shallow character work

High Ground is one of those really good films that seemed to have got lost in the Covid Pandemic. Released last year to an open air audience in Perth Australia it's seems to have gone under the radar since . Which is a shame

In a bid to save the last of his family, Gutjuk, a young Aboriginal man, teams up with ex-soldier Travis to track down Baywara, the most dangerous warrior in the Territory, his uncle.

The first thing that hits you about the film is the setting and cinematography. Kadadu , Northern Territory looks absolutely stunning and a big credit must go to the Director Stephen Johnson and Cinematograper Andrew Commis.

The second is the acting . There are good performances all round but the stand outs are definitely Jacob Junior Nayinggul who plays Gutjuk and Simon Barker who plays Travis .

The story is about revenge but the problem is both sides want it .

You watch this and you release how the Australian police didn't care about aboriginal life at all and it's a real eye opener .

Recommended.

Truly a magnificant modern western Setting in Australia. It is built up as a Revenge Thriller which gives the whole Thing a totally different touch and a nice Twist. The Story is simple but the sorroundings and the history behind it is what makes the film Special and exciting. The acting was very good, too. Simon Baker shined in a totally different Kind of role, far away from the Pretty Boy or Mentalist times. It was a great opportunity to Showcase him as a leading man for Cinema too. Its Always great to see Jack Thompson, especially in Projects all his heart and Soul are involved with as it was in this. The true discovery however is Jacob Junior Nayinggul who was absolutely breathtaking in his first leading role and a true discovery. I hope we get the opportunity to see much more of him in the future. Another fantastic aspect of the film was the fantastic cinematography and capture of pure nature. It actually made it look like nature Played an important supporting role in this and it Kind of did. Really a very good ´film, important to see also for ist cultural aspects.

This film was truly exceptional, though I think that to truly appreciate it you need to be, or have lived in Australia. A lot of beautiful shots and sound effects, felt like a documentary sometimes but this added to the film and didn't ruin the pacing. You always heard the sound of the wind and the birds, a lot of effort was put into this to make you feel like you were always out bush. Would highly recommend.

This film is quite disturbing to watch, given the story and its setting against a backdrop of a dark history. I feel so sorry for what happened in the film, I really feel for the victims.