I usually get a bit tired of all that woke-business of "Welcome to Country" and myth-making by the likes of Bruce Pascoe who quite undeservedly became a bit of a dark horse with his "Dark Emu", but when I see a movie like "Rabbit-Proof Fence" (hyphen added by me!) I must concede that there have been many past wrongs.
The movie is based on the book by the Aboriginal-Australian author Doris Pilkington, "Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence", about three Aboriginal girls who, as part of official government policy, have been forcibly removed from their outback families in 1931 to be trained as domestic servants. They escape and begin a 1500-mile journey home using a rabbit-proof fence as a guide, with authorities chasing them all the way.
First came the book by Doris Pilkington, then the movie, and then, quite confusingly, a book, also by the same name, about the movie by Larissa Behrendt, who is of Aboriginal descent on her father's side.
Turns out this is an analytical and personal critique - some hundred pages long? - of the movie and explores the representation on film, identity, connection to country, and the historical reality of the three Aboriginal girls Molly, Daisy, and Gracie. I am happy to give it a pass.
Watching this Nine Network "Behind the Scenes" television clip about the making of the movie tells me all I want to know. It's a treat. Enjoy!
