This musical is set during the 1960s with an Aboriginal boy named Willie (Rocky McKenzie) living modestly with his mother in Broome. Willie's mother wants him to become a priest so that he will have a better life but he is more interested in pursuing a beautiful girl named Rosie (Jessica Mauboy). The day before Willie is sent to boarding school, he asks Rosie if he can see her at a movie but he fails to reach her in time and she is left with an aggressive white thug. Willie arrives at the boarding school in the city. It is run by Father Benedictus (Geoffrey Rush), who is inviting to Willie as he sees his potential for a greater future with the Church and names him as a prefect. Yet when Willie later admits to stealing he escapes from the boarding school and flees back to Broome to find Rosie. He enlists the help of Uncle Tadpole (Ernie Dingo), a hobo who says he is Wilile's uncle and they start a road trip together. Along the way they meet a number of wacky characters, including a German hippy and his girlfriend Annie (Missy Higgins)
One of the most celebrated Australian films last year was Samson and Delilah. It was a gruelling and powerful representation of the living standards faced by Aboriginals in a desolate community in the Northern Territory. For some, the grittiness portrayed in Australian films like this has deterred them away from local films. Bran Nue Dae, directed by Rachel Perkins, is very much Samson and Delilah's antithesis, as this is a joyous and upbeat film, light on story and depth but soaring in its energy and its exuberance. The film is based on a stage play written by Jimmy Chi and regardless of setting the play or film in the 1960s, the messages are timeless. This is not just a musical but a coming of age story about a boy who must decide for himself what he is going to do with his life and embrace who he is, not what other people want him to be. A line from one of the films main songs reflects this: "There's nothing I would rather be, than to be an Aborigine". The narrative, from the love story, to the road trip, is certainly formulaic but there is no doubting that it is highly spirited and sometimes very sweet, played with humour and optimism for much of its duration. As a musical it succeeds because of a number of enjoyable toe-tapping songs, with some occasionally cheeky lyrics, and also more soulful ballads, which are surprisingly touching. This is a film that just about everyone can enjoy and there are few excuses now for anyone suggesting that Australian films are overly grim.
One of the real assets to the film is the likability of the cast and the range of talent on display. Newcomer Rocky McKenzie is competent without being brilliant. The delivery of some of his lines might be a bit wooden, but at least he looks like a schoolboy and is a sympathetic lead. It is a promising debut for him. Geoffrey Rush has so much fun with his loopy character and so too does Missy Higgins, with her long overdue debut in film. Her efforts as a singer and thoroughly welcome here. Jessica Mauboy from Australian Idol is a really beautiful inclusion and a great singer as well. The biggest surprise though is the transformation of Ernie Dingo who not only looks and sounds different but is completely believable as Uncle Tadpole. He is funny, tender and most surprisingly, he even sings. Some critics have felt that the minor characters and cameos, like the two loose women in Magda Szubanski as a sex starved shop owner and Deborah Mailman as Roxanne who Willy meets under a condom tree, are included just for their own celebrity, rather than for any significance in the narrative. To an extent they are indeed caricatures, but the way that these characters mirror each other and relate in a more literal sense by the end, is a reflection of the film's most significant message of how everyone is connected and related, regardless of nationality, religion or skin colour. This notion comes out most prominently in the film's climax which is slightly bizarre but still hilarious.
Bran Nue Dae might not be the most memorable or thought provocative Australian film this year, but it unlikely that there will be as many that are so bright, funny and uplifting. This is a real celebration of local talent and culture, with a cast that has as just as greater a time as the audience. Even if the narrative seems lightweight and formulaic, the film is still worth seeing for its messages, as well as its quirky characters and jovial musical numbers. This is a promising start to the year for Australian cinema.
One of the most celebrated Australian films last year was Samson and Delilah. It was a gruelling and powerful representation of the living standards faced by Aboriginals in a desolate community in the Northern Territory. For some, the grittiness portrayed in Australian films like this has deterred them away from local films. Bran Nue Dae, directed by Rachel Perkins, is very much Samson and Delilah's antithesis, as this is a joyous and upbeat film, light on story and depth but soaring in its energy and its exuberance. The film is based on a stage play written by Jimmy Chi and regardless of setting the play or film in the 1960s, the messages are timeless. This is not just a musical but a coming of age story about a boy who must decide for himself what he is going to do with his life and embrace who he is, not what other people want him to be. A line from one of the films main songs reflects this: "There's nothing I would rather be, than to be an Aborigine". The narrative, from the love story, to the road trip, is certainly formulaic but there is no doubting that it is highly spirited and sometimes very sweet, played with humour and optimism for much of its duration. As a musical it succeeds because of a number of enjoyable toe-tapping songs, with some occasionally cheeky lyrics, and also more soulful ballads, which are surprisingly touching. This is a film that just about everyone can enjoy and there are few excuses now for anyone suggesting that Australian films are overly grim.
One of the real assets to the film is the likability of the cast and the range of talent on display. Newcomer Rocky McKenzie is competent without being brilliant. The delivery of some of his lines might be a bit wooden, but at least he looks like a schoolboy and is a sympathetic lead. It is a promising debut for him. Geoffrey Rush has so much fun with his loopy character and so too does Missy Higgins, with her long overdue debut in film. Her efforts as a singer and thoroughly welcome here. Jessica Mauboy from Australian Idol is a really beautiful inclusion and a great singer as well. The biggest surprise though is the transformation of Ernie Dingo who not only looks and sounds different but is completely believable as Uncle Tadpole. He is funny, tender and most surprisingly, he even sings. Some critics have felt that the minor characters and cameos, like the two loose women in Magda Szubanski as a sex starved shop owner and Deborah Mailman as Roxanne who Willy meets under a condom tree, are included just for their own celebrity, rather than for any significance in the narrative. To an extent they are indeed caricatures, but the way that these characters mirror each other and relate in a more literal sense by the end, is a reflection of the film's most significant message of how everyone is connected and related, regardless of nationality, religion or skin colour. This notion comes out most prominently in the film's climax which is slightly bizarre but still hilarious.
Bran Nue Dae might not be the most memorable or thought provocative Australian film this year, but it unlikely that there will be as many that are so bright, funny and uplifting. This is a real celebration of local talent and culture, with a cast that has as just as greater a time as the audience. Even if the narrative seems lightweight and formulaic, the film is still worth seeing for its messages, as well as its quirky characters and jovial musical numbers. This is a promising start to the year for Australian cinema.