Rabbit-Proof Fence

[pro-bassoonist]

Phillip Noyce's Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) is set to be released in Australia on November 4th. Winner of three AFI (Australian Film Institute) awards - Best Film, Best Original Music Score, and Best Sound.

Variety

An incredible but true Depression-era story about a 1,200 mile trek by three little aboriginal girls across rugged Aussie terrain is brought to the screen in "Rabbit-Proof Fence," which marks director Phillip Noyce's return Down Under after spending 15 years working on mainstream Hollywood fare. Bold in concept and inspirational in intent, pic tells its tale of dogged courage and fortitude with a straightforward directness, and benefits immensely from the luminous presences of the children involved. In Australia, where pic opens Feb. 21, savvy marketing should tap into interest in the controversial subject to give the film a good commercial shot, though even the best Oz films which tackled aboriginal problems (among them Fred Schepisi's "The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith" and Bruce Beresford's "The Fringe Dwellers") were commercial disappointments. Internationally, "Fence" is expected to launch at Cannes, which should be a good stepping-stone to worldwide release in niche outlets, with Miramax scheduled to open it in the States mid-year.

Australians are still trying to come to terms with what some historians refer to as "the stolen generations." As white colonialists gradually occupied the lands of the indigenous people, the latter's traditional nomadic way of life was seriously eroded. Derisively seen as a "stone-age" race, the aborigines came to rely on handouts as the structure of their society collapsed and they were introduced to diseases and alcohol.

By the beginning of the 20th century, paternalistic governments started removing half- and quarter-caste children from their aboriginal mothers, supposedly in their own interest. Authorities deemed that "aboriginality" could be bred out of these children within three generations. The practice of removing children from their mothers continued until the early 1970s.

Pic unfolds in Western Australia in 1931, when bureaucrat A.O. Neville (Kenneth Branagh) was chief protector of aborigines. In the remote community of Jigalong, sisters Molly (Everlyn Sampi) and Daisy (Tianna Sansbury), aged 14 and 8 respectively, and their cousin, Gracie Fields (Laura Monaghan), aged 10, are inseparable. Long abandoned by their white fathers, the children are taught tribal ways by their mothers and grandmother. But in faraway Perth, Mr. Neville orders they be taken from their mothers and put in a special facility for half-caste children.

In a wrenching scene, the frightened, hysterical children are wrested from the arms of their mothers and are transported by train and truck 1,200 miles to the Moore River Native Settlement where, under the supervision of director Mr. Neal (Garry McDonald) and his largely female staff, they are housed in dormitories, forced to speak English, and beaten if they misbehave.

In no time, Molly, who is bright and fiercely independent, seizes an opportunity to escape, taking the compliant Daisy and the more cautious Gracie along. The three girls begin the long walk home to Jigalong, following the rabbit-proof fence which was built from the south coast to the north coast to keep rabbits out of farming areas. They are pursued by aboriginal tracker Moodoo (David Gulpilil) and a young white policeman, Riggs (Jason Clarke).

Producer Christine Olsen's screenplay is based on the book, "Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence," written by Molly Craig's daughter, Doris Pilkington Garimara, and the material isn't easy to translate to the screen for a reasonably wide audience. Once set up, the story is devoted to the long and difficult journey, the tenacious children's encounters along the way, and the increasingly frustrated attempts of Neville and his police to capture them. Since there is little doubt what the eventual outcome will be, Noyce's ingenuity is put to the test to keep the audience involved.

For the most part, his choices have been excellent. The children have been cast to perfection -- and the three girls, none of whom have acted before, are both attractive and utterly convincing. Perhaps they're even a little too attractive, and the exhausting journey doesn't seem to affect them too much physically.

Gulpilil, who 32 years ago starred in Nicolas Roeg's "Walkabout," brings warmth and dignity to the tracker who gradually develops feelings of respect and solidarity with the children he's supposed to be recapturing. Branagh, in the one-dimensional role of the man called "Mr. Devil" by the children, conveys the conviction of a self-deluded racist who believes what he's doing is in the best interests of the aboriginal people. In the small role of a sexually abused domestic servant who helps the children, Deborah Mailman also impresses.

Shooting in his native Australia for the first time, cinematographer Christopher Doyle, celebrated for his work in Hong Kong, impresses with his widescreen images of the vast landscape, especially an amazing opening aerial image of an almost lunar landscape. Deliberately grainy and non-prettified, the camerawork evokes a harsh, timeless terrain, which is further underscored by Roger Ford's production and costume design.

Peter Gabriel's score, which utilizes aboriginal instruments and themes, is also very fine, and the tight editing wraps things up in 94 minutes.

Noyce is an accomplished storyteller, and while "Rabbit-Proof Fence" lacks the poetic vision of a film like "Walkabout," it succeeds emotionally in the cause of what seems to be its primary aim, to advance an attitudinal change in Australians not normally sympathetic to the aboriginal cause.

Indeed, the most moving moment in "Rabbit-Proof Fence" comes at the very end in video footage of the real Molly and Daisy, now very elderly, accompanied by a lengthy title crawl that explains what happened to them after the conclusion of the story. The sight of these two wonderful old women, survivors despite all the odds, is likely to bring tears to many eyes.

Camera (Atlab color, Panavision widescreen), Christopher Doyle; editors, John Scott, Veronika Jenet; music, Peter Gabriel; production/costume designer, Roger Ford; sound (Dolby Digital DTS), Craig Carter; children's drama coach, Rachael Maza; 2nd unit director, Ian Jones; associate producer, Laura Burrows; assistant director, Emma Schofield; casting, Christine King. Reviewed at Hoyts 3, Fox Studios, Sydney, Jan. 10, 2002. Running time: 94 MIN.

Pro-B