Rolf de Heer & Peter Djigirr's Ten Canoes is an eye opening film about Australia's Northern Territory, a film that is part history lesson, part anthropological study, but most importantly a poetic examination of the univeral nature of storytelling, examining how important stories and tradition are to shaping values and balancing the internal selfishness of humanity. Focusing on an elder of an indigenous tribe who shares a story about his people and his land, Rolf de Heer has crafted a film which feels like it defies typical genre classifications, exhibiting an observant eye that gives the film a documentary-type atmosphere, only to reveal its more drama-based narrative after its idyllic opening. The opening pairs narration with an observant lens, simply wishing to encapsule the enivonment of its subjects, as Ten Canoes documents the vast swamp land, the marsh, and the way of life of this tribe, establishing how the the land itself is a spiritual force for these tribal people, a force that provides and takes away. When the narrative picks up, centered around a young man's envy towards his older brother's wife, the camera takes on more of a cautious observer role, unwilling to distrupt its subjects while it documents its moralistic tale. Universal yet specific, Ten Canoes manages to provide an intricate look at this unique forgotten culture while simulatenously exhibiting the universal importance of stories in any form of culture or society, a film that poetically deconstructs how stories and language play an important part in teaching values. The guidance which they provide, the lessons they teach, Ten Canoes exhibits how the more ancient the story, the more universal the knowledge, showcasing how the seeds of time tend to wash away cultural differences and reveal our true shared humanity, the strengths and weakness of our species. Without going into details, Ten Canoes ancient, moralistic story is quite a harrowing tale, yet the film manages to never feel didactic due in large part to the filmmakers spontaneous approach. The whole film is narrarated, yet it never feels like a old, boring history lesson due in part to the filmmakers deflecting or interrupting the narrators flow, doing so to find the organic humor in day-to-day happenings of life. It's a simple decision that pays major dividinds, humanizing these characters in a way that makes the whole story feel more universal, slighly more playful yet still respectful, and very honest about our shared humanity. Remarkably balancing the documentation of this ancient cutlure with its powerful theme about the importance of storytelling, Rolf de Heer & Peter Djigirr's Ten Canoes is a singular vision that should not be missed.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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