Here
is something strange and unconventional about "Rabbit
Proof Fence", the marvelous picture from director Philip
Noyce, who brought us the mesmerizing "The
Quiet American" late in 2002. This
is not a normal film, by any means. It is sad,
heartbreaking, and sometimes almost too painful to watch, but
manages to deliver a powerful message about racism and the
most sinister period of Australian history.
The film follows the adventures of three aborigines--Molly,
Daisy, and Gracie--who flee from the home where they are kept
(background information: until 1970, aboriginal children
of mixed race were forced from their mothers and placed into
homes that would prepare them for lives in factories; it was
thought that taking half whites from the blacks would rescue
it from a black society; another was that too many white genes
would eventually cause the blacks to start revolting,
demanding more rights...FOOTNOTE: the Australian
government still refuses to apologize for this terrible
policy) and attempt to travel the 1,500 mile distance to where
they once lived. They are guided by a mental map of how
to get home and a long fence that stretches across the outback
to protect farmers from rabbits. Through the journey,
the girls are pursued by a tracker named Moodoo and are aided
by a white woman named Mavis. Kenneth Branagh stars as
A.O. Neville, the brains behind the relocation policies, and a
man very near and dear to the philosophies of Nazi Germany.
The three young actresses in this film--Everlyn Sampi, Tianna
Sansbury, Laura Monaghan--were completely untrained in the
world of cinema, but manage to produce brilliant performances
thanks to the expert directing of Noyce, who might be the most
powerful director out there right now, when you take into
consideration how phenomenal "The Quiet American"
was--he made that film and this one in the same year.
That is amazing.
The cinematography captures perfectly the beauty and the
harshness of the outback, and the 'rabbit proof fence' serves
as a beacon of hope for the girls, as it is their guiding
light home. This film literally came out of nowhere and
knocked me for a loop. I did some research after seeing
the film and found the backstory to be fascinating, though
somewhat disturbing.
Kenneth Branagh is perfectly nasty and creepy in one of the
most demanding roles he has talent in a while. We all
know he can do any character from Shakespeare, but this role
took real courage, and he succeeds marvelously. I could
potentially see a nomination coming his way, if this film is
not overlooked by the Academy for it's lack of publicity.
"Rabbit Proof Fence" is a powerful story about
racism and the triumph of the human spirit. It is the
best film I have seen in 2003 (I know it's only January) and,
depending on which Oscar ceremony it is eligible for, it will
possibly be on my end of the year list for this forthcoming
year. Try and catch this one, if you can--you won't
regret it.
