Kanyini (2006) User Reviews

Interesting if Flawed

[TimMeade · 7/10 · 3 September 2006]

The film is essentially composed of the musings of one, very articulate, Aboriginal elder. His views are well-reasoned and rational and I came away with a greater outstanding of his culture (I am originally from UK). The film is free from hyperbole, unnecessary gimmicks or graphics. However, it came across occasionally as perhaps just a little one-dimensional; a different perspective(s) would have been a welcome addition.

If I understood correctly, the title is an Aboriginal collective term for the 4 elements that have underscored their culture - beliefs, spirituality, land and family.

This is a well-made documentary that is well worth an hour of anyone's time with the remotest interest in Aboriginal culture.

Wisdom that is quickly dying off.

[rferrin · 10/10 · 21 August 2008]

It is not often that Western ears get to hear indigenous wisdom from such an articulate and thoughtful source. It is very apparent that there has been something lost along the way on our march towards "progress" and "modernization". I suspect that such indigenous wisdom will fade in direct proportion to the rise continual degradation of our planet.

The only part that was at first annoying and then unnerving was how when Bob Randall referred to the Australian (or British, actually) imports, he would almost always use the singular personal pronoun "you". You stole us from our families. You took land that was never open for taking. You...you...you. But really, for a majority of the viewers, it does lead to one to speculate that if they too were indoctrinated with the then views of British superiority- moral, physical, spiritual- that we too would view these naked, gibbering, black-skinned primitives are not worth negotiating with, much less acknowledging as a human life.

Is Bob biased and completely one-sided? Yes. To suggest otherwise would be idiotic. But he has no reason to pretend there is another viable side to a story that involves indiscriminate killing, land grabbing, rape, kid napping, slavery and overall human degradation.

A must see movie. They lived as people who didn't see land, resources or humans as something to exploit, but as an integral part of who they were: their oneness. A lesson we desperately need.

Great movie to bring awareness and empathy

[legen1987 · 10/10 · 27 September 2007]

i found this documentary amazing! i am an Indigenous Australian and this movie gives a very different approach to discussing the current situations of Indigenous peoples in Australia.

it goes through some historical aspects of Australian settlement and Christian missions and there impacts on Indigenous people lives (wholistically).

i think this documentary gives us a brief look into what future Indigenous leaders will be like with great knowledge and pride in their culture. give it a look and see some reasons why Indigenous people have the issues they have.

Beautiful, inspirational film of forgiveness

[vaishnavi-sings · 10/10 · 15 December 2008]

As someone without much knowledge of the history of the Aboriginal people, I found this film fascinating, enlightening, inspiring.

What struck me most was how deeply the narrator reveals his pain and rage at what happened during his childhood and yet speaks from a place of humour, wisdom, hope and a yearning to move forward TOGETHER.

My sense is that all he asks for is an acknowledgement that what happened with the 'stolen generation' fragmented their society, for some understanding of the pain that his people experienced. He asks for no compensation, no guilt, simply to honour the truth.

I can't say whether this film is biased (as some other comments suggest) as I don't know the history. All I can say is that there is an authenticity and integrity that rings out of this man's face. This film will stay with me for a long time and I feel grateful to have seen it.

Pretentious, biased and boring, a documentary that documents opinion as fact,

[Disarmed-Doll-Parts · 1/10 · 20 August 2007]

An aboriginal elder recounts his youth and how the 'white man' stole his land. KANYINI is a one-sided and biased documentary, completely ignoring the 'two sides to every story' motto, and has an attitude that every white person should be sorry for the early settlers taking the land. What this 'wise' elder is forgetting is that this is what conquering nations DO; is anyone saying sorry to the Inuits? Get over it and enough with the reverse racism.

Technically this film is almost flawless, it's a pity its soul is bitter and twisted, tainted with contempt for an entire race, contradicting what the Aborigines are trying to do. 1/10