Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 Australian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It is based on a true story concerning the author's mother Molly, as well as two other mixed-race Aboriginal girls, who ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement, north of Perth, Western Australia, to return to their Aboriginal families, after being placed there in 1931. The film follows the Aboriginal girls as they walk for nine weeks along 1,500 miles (2,400Â km) of the Australian rabbit-proof fence to return to their community at Jigalong, while being pursued by white law enforcement authorities and an Aboriginal tracker.
The soundtrack to the film, called Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence, is by Peter Gabriel. British producer Jeremy Thomas, who has a long connection with Australia, was executive producer of the film, selling it internationally through his sales arm, HanWay Films.
Plot
In Western Australia in 1931, in the remote town of Jigalong, three children live with their mother and grandmother. They are two sisters, 14-year-old Molly, 8-year-old Daisy, and their 10-year-old cousin Gracie. The town lies along the northern part of Australia's rabbit-proof fence, which runs for several thousand miles.
Thousands of miles away, the "protector" of Western Australian Aborigines, A. O. Neville, signs an order to relocate the three girls to his re-education camp. The children are referred to by Neville as "half-castes", because they have one white and one Aboriginal parent. Neville's reasoning is portrayed as: the Aboriginal peoples of Australia are a danger to themselves, and the "half-castes" must be bred out of existence. He plans to place the girls in a camp where they, along with all half-castes of that age range, will grow up. They will then presumably become labourers and servants to white families, regarded as a "good" situation for them in life. Eventually if they marry, it will be to white people and thus the Aboriginal "blood" will diminish. As such, the three girls are forcibly taken from Jigalong by a local constable, Riggs, and sent to camp at the Moore River Native Settlement, in the south.
During their time at the camp, Molly notices a rain cloud in the sky and deduces that if she, Gracie and Daisy were to escape and go back to Jigalong on foot, the rain will cover their tracks, so nobody can track them. Gracie and Daisy decide to go along with Molly and the three girls sneak off, without being noticed and run away. Moments after their escape, an Aboriginal tracker, Moodoo, is called in to find them. However, the girls are well trained in disguising their tracks. They evade Moodoo several times, receiving aid from strangers in the harsh Australian country they travel. They eventually find the rabbit-proof fence, knowing they can follow it north to Jigalong. Neville soon figures out their strategy and sends Moodoo and Riggs after them. Although he is an experienced tracker, Moodoo is unable to find them.
Neville spreads word that Gracie's mother is waiting for her in the town of Wiluna. The information finds its way to an Aboriginal traveller who "helps" the girls. He tells Gracie about her mother and says they can get to Wiluna by train, causing her to break off from the group and attempt to catch a train to Wiluna. Molly and Daisy soon walk after her and find her at a train station. They are not reunited, however, as Riggs appears and Gracie is recaptured. The betrayal is revealed by Riggs, who tells the man he will receive a shilling for his help. Knowing they are powerless to aid her, Molly and Daisy continue on. In the end, after a harsh long journey, the two sisters make it home and go into hiding in the desert with their mother and grandmother. Meanwhile, Neville realizes he can no longer afford the search for Molly and Daisy and decides to suspend the pursuit.
Epilogue
The film's epilogue shows recent footage of Molly and Daisy. Molly explains that Gracie has died and she never returned to Jigalong. Molly also tells us of her own two daughters; she and they were taken from Jigalong back to Moore River. She managed to escape with one daughter, Annabelle, and once again, she walked the length of the fence back home. However, when Annabelle was 3 years old, she was taken away once more, and Molly never saw her again. In closing, Molly says that she and Daisy "... are never going back to that place".
Cast
- Everlyn Sampi as Molly Craig
- Tianna Sansbury as Daisy Craig Kadibill
- Laura Monaghan as Gracie Fields
- David Gulpilil as Moodoo the Tracker
- Jason Clarke as Constable Riggs
- Kenneth Branagh as A. O. Neville
- Ningali Lawford as Maude, Molly's mother
- Myarn Lawford as Molly's grandmother
- Deborah Mailman as Mavis
- Garry McDonald as Mr Neal
Production
The film is adapted from the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, by Doris Pilkington Garimara, which is the second book of her trilogy documenting her family's stories.
Release
The film stirred debate over the historical accuracy of the claims of the Stolen Generation. Andrew Bolt, a conservative journalist who has frequently attempted to downplay the facts of the "Stolen Generation", criticised Neville's portrayal in the film, arguing that he was inaccurately represented as paternalistic and racist, and the film's generally rosy portrayal of the girls' situation prior to their removal from their parents. Bolt questioned the artistic portrayal in the film of the girls as prisoners in prison garb. He claimed they would have been dressed in European clothes, as shown in contemporary photos, and says they were tracked by concerned adults fearful for their welfare. He claimed that when Molly Craig saw the film, which portrayed her journey, she stated that it was "not my story". However, she clarified that statement by saying her story continued into her adult life and was not nicely resolved, as the film's ending made it appear.
Reception
Critical response
The film received positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 88% based on 138 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10. The site's consensus states, "Visually beautiful and well-acted, Rabbit-Proof Fence tells a compelling true-life story." On Metacritic the film has a score of 80 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
David Stratton of SBS awarded the film four stars out of five, commenting that Rabbit-Proof Fence is a "bold and timely film about the stolen generations."
Box office
Rabbit-Proof Fence grossed US$3,756,418 in Australia, and $6,199,600 in the United States. Worldwide, it grossed $16,217,411.
Accolades
Selected accolades.
Wins
- 2001 - Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.
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- Film Scriptâ€"the Pacific Film and Television Commission Award (Christine Olsen)
- 2002 - Australian Film Institute Awards
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- Best Film (Phillip Noyce, Christine Olsen, John Winter)
- Best Original Music Score (Peter Gabriel)
- Best Sound (Bronwyn Murphy, Craig Carter, Ricky Edwards, John Penders)
- 2002 - Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards
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- Best Director (Phillip Noyce)
- Best Screenplayâ€"Adapted (Christine Olsen)
- 2002 - Inside Film Awards
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- Best Actress (Everlyn Sampi)
- Best Production Design (Roger Ford)
- 2002 - New South Wales Premier's History Awards
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- shortlisted for The Premier's Young People's History Prize (Christine Olsen and Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (USA) - Aspen Filmfest
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- Audience Award, Audience Favourite Feature (Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (Switzerland) - Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema,
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- ASPI Award (Phillip Noyce)
- Golden Castle (Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (USA) - The 2002 Starz Encore Denver International Film Festival
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- People's Choice Award: Best Feature-Length Fiction Film (Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (South Africa) - Durban International Film Festival
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- Audience Award (Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (UK) - Edinburgh International Film Festival
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- Audience Award (Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (UK) - Leeds International Film Festival
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- Audience Award (Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (USA) - National Board of Review Awards 2002
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- Freedom of Expression Award
- Best Director (Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (USA) - San Francisco Film Critics Circle
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- Special Citation (Phillip Noyce, also for The Quiet American (2002))
- Audience Award: Best Foreign Film (Phillip Noyce)
- 2002 (Spain) - Valladolid International Film Festival
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- Audience Award: Feature Film (Phillip Noyce)
- 2003 (UK) - London Critics Circle Film Awards (ALFS)
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- Director of the Year (Phillip Noyce, also for The Quiet American (2002))
- 2003 (Brazil) - São Paulo International Film Festival
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- Audience Award: Best Foreign Film (Phillip Noyce)
Nominations
- 2002 (Australia)
- Australian Film Institute Nominations
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role (David Gulpilil)
- Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
- Best Costume Design (Roger Ford)
- Best Direction (Phillip Noyce)
- Best Editing (Veronika Jenet, John Scott)
- Best Production Design (Roger Ford)
- Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Source (Christine Olsen)
- 2002 (Australia)
- Film Critics Circle of Australia Nominations Australia
- Best Actorâ€"Female (Everlyn Sampi)
- Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle)
- Best Film
- Best Music Score (Peter Gabriel)
- 2002 (Poland)
- Camerimageâ€"2002 International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography
- Golden Frog (Christopher Doyle)
- 2002 (USA)
- Golden Trailer Award Nominations
- Golden Trailer: Best Independent
- 2003 (USA)
- Golden Globe Nominations
- Golden Globe: Best Original Scoreâ€"Motion Picture (Peter Gabriel)
- 2003 (USA)
- Motion Picture Sound Editors Nomination
- Golden Reel Award: Best Sound Editing in Foreign Features (Juhn Penders, Craig Carter, Steve Burgess, Ricky Edwards, Andrew Plain)
- 2003 (USA)
- Political Film Society Awards
- Exposé
- Human Rights
- 2003 (USA)
- Young Artist Awards
- Best Performance in a Feature Filmâ€"Supporting Young Actress (Everlyn Sampi)
- Best Performance in a Feature Filmâ€"Young Actress Age Ten or Under (Tianna Sansbury)
See also
- Cinema of Australia
- Survival film, about the film genre, with a list of related films
References
External links
- Rabbit-Proof Fence at the Internet Movie Database
- Rabbit-Proof Fence at AllMovie
- Rabbit-Proof Fence at Box Office Mojo
- Rabbit-Proof Fence at Rotten Tomatoes
- Rabbit-Proof Fence at Metacritic
- Phillip Noyce's shooting diary
- Phillip Noyce interviewâ€"Phillip Noyce on Rabbit-Proof Fence