Charlie’s Country
Contemporary World Cinema
Charlie’s Country is an authentic tale of the subtle pain of racism that still exists in our world today.
Charlie (David Gulpilil) lives his life in a remote Aboriginal community in northern Australia. Government intervention in the culture’s traditional way of life has left many of the residents, including Charlie, unable to control their own destinies and powerless to the world around them. When his gun and hand-crafted spear are confiscated leaving him nothing to hunt with, Charlie defiantly heads into the bush to live the old way. However, when he’s forced back to the community he finds the way back to finding a peaceful home is going to be much more difficult than he had anticipated.
A quiet and understated story keyed by a very powerful performance from Gulpilil makes this something worth seeing. It’s not overt or obvious in it’s look at racism but it’s definitely there to be examined there. Writer/Director Rolf de Heer co-wrote this story with his co-star and its look at Aboriginal communities is heartfelt, profound, and poignant.
It’s not a bludgeoning film about vanishing ways of life or racial intolerance that drives home its message unsubtly. It’s decidedly quieter approach will stick with you longer than you realize. (Dave Voigt)
Screens
Saturday, September 13th, 1:15 pm, Scotiabank 1
Thanks to SPiN TORONTO for sponsoring our TIFF 2014 coverage.
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