A Review Of The Film The Rabbit Proof Fence
The film, The Rabbit Proof Fence is produced by Phillip Noyce, an Australian director, producer and screenwriter. This historical fiction film is set in 1931, during the time period when the assimilation policy was in action.
The movie follows the treacherous journey of three young girls Eeverlyn Sampi as Molly Craig, Tianna Sansbury as Daisy, Laura Monaghan as Gracie, who are forcefully taken from their indigeous families and placed at Moore River Native Settlement camp. The eldest girl notices it’s raining and comes to the realisation that if they escape, their tracks will be covered. In order to make their journey back home, they follow the path of the Rabbit Proof Fence. The Fence stretches across Western Australia, and is a flimsy barbed-wire fence that runs for a length of 3,256 km. The trio undertake an eventful journey home, dodging Moodoo, the indigeous tracker assigned to find them
In my opinion, this shocking event could’ve been explored and portrayed in a more interesting and gripping manner. I found the film to be quite dull in depicting the girls journey and the intense struggles of hunger, fatigue and the feeling of risk if their location was discovered. The rabbit Proof Fence is a devastatingly fascinating story. I felt as though the girls acting did not accurately represent how the children would’ve been feeling, though one scene was excellent in portraying the mothers and the young girls anguish and pain, which was the scene when Constable Riggs comes to take the children. The mother Maude comes to the realisation that the children are being taken and urges the girls to run. The constable snatches the children whilst forcefully putting them into a car. The younger girls are more calm and seem to accept what is happening, but the eldest, Molly, fights back, before eventually being defeated and taken to the camp. The rest of the acting was quite mediocre, except for the fantastic performance from Kenneth Branagh, acting as Mr. Neville. The root of the issue for me was the three girl actresses playing the children. The actresses gave a feeling of immaturity to this film that lessens the impact of the serious subject matter. Kenneth Branagh does a fantastic job of guaranteeing that Mr. Neville is not perceived as a one-dimensional villain. He does an excellent job of showing his beliefs on half-caste children, even though he occasionally was scripted to show compassion for them.
Throughout the film, the girls social status and location can be shown through costumes, props and locations. An example is the white clothing the girls are forced to wear in the camp which shows how the government is attempting to remove the girls identity and culture. The girls are all forced to wear a uniform which depicts the idea that their individuality and indigeous past is trying to be erased. Location and setting helped show the girls journey from their house to the Moore River Settlement and their return. The Australian landscape and setting is used by the girls to help them on their escape multiple times. This promotes the theme of the indigenous children's connection to the land and nature. Though the setting is also used a device to build suspense and the climax of the movie, as Moodoo the tracker is able to look at seemingly innocent twigs, sticks and mud, while detecting signs of the girls’ path. The prop of Gracie’s bag is used in an attempt to confuse the tracker and temporarily throw him off their scent, but is unsuccessful.
The movie soundtrack, composed by Peter Gabriel uses instruments which adds tension to the scene. Often there are sounds of wind instruments which reminds the audience of the children and their pursuers culture and indigenous identity. The haunting music sets an atmosphere and mood of fear, which is one of the rare elements which successfully represents the feeling the girls would’ve been going through.
The producers clearly outlined the messages and themes of culture and identity in this film. The girls obvious intimate connection with the land and nature enables them the strength to continue their journey home. Through Molly’s, Daisy’s and Gracie’s connection with their culture helped them survive and navigate through the tough struggles of the Australian bush. Though there were strong messages, the disappointing acting skills failed to push the theme of hardship and struggle that the girls would’ve endured.
I believe the target audience for this film would be teenagers to young adults. The MPAA rating is PG, though I do believe that some scenes may not be suitable for younger audiences as they have hidden themes or obvious messages which aren’t appropriate for children. Two scenes in particular that you should be wary of children viewing is the forceful removal of the children from their mothers, as it’s an armed standoff, and the reference to an older white male having acted inappropriately upon his young aboriginal servant. Overall, I found the film to represent the shocking events of the indigenous children being taken away in such a dull manner that it reduces the seriousness and disgracefulness of the event.
