High Ground

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.

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.

The thing I really love about Australian movies in 2020/21 is they are all brilliant. Director Stephen Johnsons' "High Ground" is no exception. It's the little things...always the little things like the sound effects of a bird eating its prey or a lizard scratching on the bark of a tree, and even green ants munching on flora that make this film so intimate and at times feels like I'm watching a Clint Eastwood cowboy flick. The break out role for Indigenous actor Jacob Junior Nayin ggul as Gutjuk (which means Hawk) is outstanding and not to be overshadowed by legendary actors like Simon Baker, Jack Thompson, Callan Mulvey or fellow Aboriginal actor Aaron Pederson. "High Ground" is a brutal retelling of our First Nations Peoples horrific treatment at the hands of the British Colonists to their country...all in the name of the Crown. Its Australia's answer to similar action in other countries like the British colonisation of the Americas and their treatment of the Natives. It's a familiar story around the globe. None of it is pretty, except the Country itself. This is up close and personal from the perspective of both the Colonials and the local tribes and the disastrous results of these encounters. "High Ground" is set against the stunning landscape of 1930's Arnhem Land. Sacred land for Northern Territory tribes that live there to this day. Bakers' Travis and Gutjuk are out to track down warring wild tribesman and Uncle, Baywarra, played by Sean Mununggurr. Whilst his own Granfather Dharrpa (Witiyana Marika) is trying to make peace and seek justice for the deaths of his family by the Colonial Soldiers. On this journey in the outback who can you really trust? Simon Baker in his 50's is making superb movies including Breath (Netflix) This movie was first screened in an open air theatre in Western Australia with a near full capacity crowd. Made all the more remarkable because not many places in the world can host large crowds during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Cinemas around the world are in desperate need of content to fill their big screens right now and Australia is delivering the goods with first class films for the world to watch. Movies like "High Ground" make you understand why some people are uncomfortable with Australia Day (the official national day of Australia) and protest its anniversary. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 raising of the British flag at Sydney Cove by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration in New South Wales by the First Fleet.

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.

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