Review of Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) by Keaton B — 16 Jul 2011

Cheer on 3 sympathetic kids as they try to escape a well-meaning but miserably colonialist kidnapping to get back home. Or maybe hope they get caught, since 3 kids trying to walk 1200 miles in a desert sounds like it could end very badly indeed? The children are fairly uncomplicated characters, understandably, and the amateur actors make them appealing.

The film provides more complex characters in the colonial administrator, who is shown as a man who sincerely believes he is doing the best thing for the children despite its monstrosity, and the aboriginal tracker trying to find the escapees, who is generally inscrutable but as is evident has some reservations about this whole business.