Ten Canoes
July 10th 2008 23:20
"Ten Canoes" starts off with an English-speaking narrator, who tells a tale of a group of men making canoes for a hunt, who then tell a tale of dark deeds and sorcery. The visuals recreate a time before there was any hint of Europeans on the horizon, and the land is wild and free, untamed and untouched.
The language is Yolŋu Matha, a language family distinct to the people that settled in Northern Australia, and it's a beautiful, melodic tongue, full of exclamation and emotions. A man named Birrin Birrin has a delightfully white beard, a huge belly and goads children into climbing trees to bring him honey.
"Ten Canoes" shines an original light on the land of Australia. This is something special, something you'd never expect to see, but at the same time, it gives us an honest appreciation of the Aboriginal culture. I spoke to someone from China and they expressed deep fear of the Indigenous Australians, claiming that they walked around naked and acted like savages. I took him through Redfern where he could see them, dressed like us, hanging out and playing with children, like us.
This same feeling is present in "Ten Canoes", where, yes, the tribes are naked and black, the men carrying spears, the women walking bare-breasted. After the initial shock of the image, the audience settles into a tranquil state of acceptance, appreciating the harmony between the people and the land.
As the film continues, we see that the Aboriginal tribes have a detailed set of customs and laws. They have humour and suffer from tragedy; jealousy and rage. All the human emotions that we are capable of, so are they, which is probably the most moving aspect of the movie, though it tries to smack the viewer with outstanding beauty and cinematography.
At some point in the film, I felt uncomfortable in my clothes, the fabric chafing against my skin, which longed to turn black and feel the air of the swamp, water underfoot, and a long pole in my hand.
I say: Absolutely outstanding, and a must see for anyone to truly appreciate Australia.
See it for: The actors in this production are all locals to the area, some artists, others actors, and some just residents that came together to celebrate the history of their culture and language.
* this image is from Palm Pictures
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Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
I just need a good excuse to rent it.
Comment by Cibbuano
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Well, maybe not. Apparently there are crocs out there!