bobbsaunders

This is a classy production of a heartfelt story that desperately needed to be told. Clearly Brendan Cowell has pursued this with passion and determination for many years and he plays the lead role with much conviction. Its not just his skill as an actor but the passion he feels for the subject that drives this production along. And it soars to great heights. But its not just a one man production, everyone, casting, direction, photography, music, editing, it all gels together so well. It rarely misses a beat and we feel the pain of the protagonists and everyone else connected to them. Rough subject - very classy result.

This is a very mixed bag. Adventurous, trying to push the envelope, but without the depth of skill to pull it off. Hashana Goswami as Sri is its main saving grace, lighting up the screen and providing consistent gravitas. But she is hampered by a very patchy script, soapy direction and what appears to be an inconsistent vision of what the production is trying to communicate. The male lead is visually quite strong at times but he cannot sustain it over a wide range of emotions, ending up looking like an actor just a little out of his depth. But it is the story arc that is most flawed with a final episode that thinks it has delivered a very modern twist, but in reality proves it didnt really understand itself.

A meandering start doesnt help this film. But it slowly starts to wind up the tension and while exploring so many conflicts in both cultures, eventually delivers a wrenching, dramatic conclusion. Ultimately the comparison of the Crown's rigid justice versus the nurture justice of the Aboriginals, its not difficult to see which is the superior system. Beautifully shot, well written and wonderful depictions of the two contrasting cultures, this is a more important film than its box office takings would indicate. European settlement imported the scourges of white mans physical diseases and his spiritual vacuousness. We have much to learn from our first nations people.