A good history lesson about eugenics in Australia in the 1930's. The white government attempted to take legal custody of all female children born half aborigines and half white, and then arranging marriages for them with white men so as to eliminate all dark skin color. This film follows three girls who have been take from their mother and live in a training camp. The escape and make the 9 week journey along the Rabbit-proof fence back to there mother. Outwitting trackers and the police through an inhabitable desert in western Australia. Only two of the girls make it when the third heads out on her own. The film ends with footage of the two women that the film is based on. The film does not get over sentimental in telling this true story about these girls overcoming great hurdles to avoid the racist policies of the government. Interesting to note as well that Hitler was not the first genetic elitist, in some ways he is a product of western thought in the early 20th century.
August 29, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Not too much to add here. It's a rather subtle film suspense-wise, but when it ratchets up the emotion at the end, changing actors into their real-life persona, I was tearing up. And the political critique of the racist policies gives the film a powerful dimension, which is interesting as well.
Though I seldom love these types of stories, which are obviously meant to uplift and tell of the power of the human spirit, this is a tremendously affecting example of the genre conventions working.
Post a Comment