TEN CANOES [NR]

Breathtakingly innovative, Ten Canoes is a visually lush and groundbreaking Australian film, exploring the very fabric of that country’s indigenous heritage. Time is fluid as The Tracker writer-director Rolf de Heer’s unique work weaves color and monochrome in an intricate, complex tapestry. Giving an insight into the life and cultures of tribes in Arnhem Land (in the northeastern corner of the Northern Territory), the story is the result of a winning collaboration between de Heer and aboriginal actor David Gulpilil. An added source of inspiration is the series of evocative black-and-white photographs taken by anthropologist Dr. Donald Thompson, who lived among the Yolngu tribes in the 1930s.

Watching the film, there is a sense of journeying into unknown territory. The themes of culture, tradition and mysticism linger, as they accentuate both our differences and similarities. The biggest surprise is the humor. With David Gulpilil’s often irreverent and occasional mischievous narration, the dialogue (in the Ganalbingu language) is revealing and at times hilarious. Full frontal nudity is simply part of the landscape. We are taken into a world that we have never seen before.

Once upon a time, far far away… is how the story starts, but a fairy tale this is not. The juxtaposition of the narrative effectively pits its story beside an ancient myth involving kidnapping, sorcery and revenge. “Never trust a man with a small prick,” says Crusoe Kurrdal’s Ridjimiraril as a stranger approaches. The roles of men and women are strictly delineated: men go hunting, women are gatherers. Men may have more than one wife, but family matters are surprisingly similar to our own. Bickering is a daily occurrence. Wives simply behave “like wives,” bickering with each other and regularly accusing their husbands of being lazy slobs. There are many things about Ten Canoes that are remarkable, wit the first and foremost being de Heer’s respectful direction and treatment of the topics. The performances from the non-actors are outstanding (Gulpilil’s son Jamie is especially appealing) and the remote, crocodile infested settings are spectacular. Above all, it is the way everyday life, with its mundane ups and downs, rests beside the spiritual. Life and death each has its place. Dying is not a solitary occurrence, but one in which the tribe participates as it supports the soul that searches its way to another place. This is indeed a weighty journey, the ripples of propel us to a distant place. –Louise Keller