Review of Ten Canoes (2006) by Loay O — 23 Apr 2008
Ten Canoes, directed by Rolf de Heer (The Tracker) and Peter Djigirr, tells a fictional story that acts as a lesson for a young man in the tribe who feels that the youngest wife of his older brother should be his.
The story has elements of kidnapping, sorcery, and revenge but is mostly about values: how a community living in a natural environment before the coming of the White man developed laws and systems to guide its people.
While it is certainly not a "great" film if one is assessing its pure content in isolation, its political and cultural implications and its pioneering vision assure it is indeed special and unusual.
Its two strongest points are: The photography is superb, and its narrative power. Ten Canoes generates a greater awareness and understanding of indigenous Australian culture. It is a unique story-telling cinema experience, which can get quite slow and dull at times but nonetheless is worth checking out for zealous movie lovers.
This review of Ten Canoes (2006) was written by Loay O on 23 Apr 2008.
Ten Canoes has generally received positive reviews.
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