Review of Satellite Boy (2012) by Michael V — 11 Dec 2012

SATELLITE BOY: a postcard from W.A. 3/5.

Satellite Boy, the first wholly Western Australian production, featured in PIAF at Somerville and which premiered on Monday 10th December 2012, is a fascinating and colourful look at Aboriginal culture and the outback landscape.

This film, produced by Screenwest and sponsored by Lotterywest, is laudable for many reasons. It is a low-budget film, made with a small crew in demanding conditions, and congratulations are due all round. It was obviously a labour of love, with enormous goodwill shown by many 'silent' helpers. It features some astonishingly beautiful country, especially the Bungle-Bungles (being the first feature film to be given the go-ahead in this area) some fine cinematography and a couple of endearing scallywags.

It's a tall order to expect two non-professional Aboriginal lads to carry the narrative load but they turn in a valiant effort and, whilst the aged Gulpilil is off- screen, for he is, nevertheless, still a powerful screen presence, the landscape takes centre-stage, in all its astonishing colour and diversity. From dried salt lakes to lush wooded areas and flowing streams to the richly-coloured striations of the Bungle-Bungles, one can only wonder at the impression these scenes would have on foreign audiences who, no doubt, would have seen nothing quite like them.

Although not in the same league as Samson and Delilah or Walkabout (in which a magisterial young Gulpilil dominates the screen), Satellite Boy is a searching exploration of the pull of culture versus family, which is bound to enthral anyone unfamiliar with the content.

The increasingly difficult task of hanging on to a deep cultural foundation, in the face of technology and rapid change, has resulted in some fine films, e.g. The Weeping Camel (also shown first at Somerville). Satellite Boy, similarly, looks to the medium of film to tell its timeless story. And what a powerful medium it is.

Phil.