Review of Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) by Debra R — 06 Sep 2008

This is a wonderful film set in Western Australia in the early 1930s. It is a true story about the effects on one family by the Aborigines Act (a law that was intended to transform half-caste Aboriginal girls into more productive members of the white culture by either marrying a white person or grooming them to become servants). A half-caste is the child of a white parent and an Aborigine parent. These children are currently referred to as the ?Stolen Generation?.

The three main characters in the film, directed by Phillip Noyce, are a 14-year-old by the name of Molly Craig (Everlyn Sampi), her 8-year-old sister Daisy (Tianna Sansbury) and their cousin, 10-year-old Gracie (Laura Monaghan). The girls were abducted from their small village of Jigalong and taken some 1,500 miles away to a camp called Moore River, under the direction of a racist by the name of Mr. Neville, where they were forced to stay in a type of Christian camp. At one point in the film, you see the girls? grandmother chanting ? it is assumed that she is praying for their safe return. However, while the girls are at the camp, they were not allowed to speak their native language. Under the direction of Molly, the 3 girls managed to escape and proceeded to make the extensive walk back to their home and family. They made their way to the rabbit proof fence, which is the longest fence in the world and serves as a barrier between rabbits and productive pastureland. By following this fence, it would lead them back to their homeland of Jigalong, since the fence ran right through their village. Time and time again, they were able to outsmart the Aborigine tracker, Moodoo (David Gulpilil), who was working for the government to recapture runaways.

There are certain significant symbols in the movie, such as an Eagle that appears at different times throughout the film. The Eagle is a sacred symbol for the native peoples ? they believe that the Eagle is a messenger to God. At one point, Molly and Daisy had collapsed on the ground from the exhaustion of their journey ? but they are awoken by the cry of an Eagle soaring overhead. That encounter was able to give them the strength they needed to continue on their journey and eventually make their way back home.

This movie was beautifully photographed and serves as a wonderful, yet disturbing, portrayal of how the Aborigine people were treated. It is based on a book written by Molly?s daughter, Doris Pilkington Garimara.