Film Review: Rabbit-Proof Fence
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/3/0/26309760/936610835.jpg?303)
For the Individual Film Review
Assignment, I chose to work with the film Rabbit-Proof
Fence, directed by Phillip Noyce in 2002. Notably, this movie is based off
a true story depicted by the book Follow
the Rabbit-Proof Fence, written by Doris Pilkingtin Garimara. The story is
about the treatment her mother (Molly, the main protagonist) and relatives
faced as Aboriginal Australian “half-caste” (mixed race) children in the twentieth
century. This component of Australian history is similar to the treatment of
the Aboriginal Canadians with the residential schools in our own country’s past.
Before Moore River:
At the beginning of the movie, it is stated that the Aborigines Act was passed in Western Australia in 1931. It declared that Mr. A. O. Neville, the "Chief Protector of Aborigines", would be the legal guardian of all half-caste Aboriginal children, giving him the power and authority to separate them from their true families. Mr. Neville's plan to cope with their "unwanted third race" was to send all of the half-caste youth to sectioned-off schools to be assimilated into Australian culture. They would be trained to be servants so that they could then be placed into Australian society and, eventually, be "bred out" over generations.
Molly, her sister Daisy, and their cousin Gracie (the half-caste protagonists of this story) became three of the many victims of the Aborigines Act. On one unexpected day, they were forcefully pulled from their mother's and grandmother's arms to be driven away to Moore River, an assimilation school situated 1200 miles from their home in Jigalong. This breaks the rights assured to them under Articles 12 and 16 of the Declaration of Human Rights, interfering with the security and protection of their family. On part of their way to Moore River, the girls were kept in a cage, which is inhumane and violates the rights set forth in Article 5.
Before Moore River:
At the beginning of the movie, it is stated that the Aborigines Act was passed in Western Australia in 1931. It declared that Mr. A. O. Neville, the "Chief Protector of Aborigines", would be the legal guardian of all half-caste Aboriginal children, giving him the power and authority to separate them from their true families. Mr. Neville's plan to cope with their "unwanted third race" was to send all of the half-caste youth to sectioned-off schools to be assimilated into Australian culture. They would be trained to be servants so that they could then be placed into Australian society and, eventually, be "bred out" over generations.
Molly, her sister Daisy, and their cousin Gracie (the half-caste protagonists of this story) became three of the many victims of the Aborigines Act. On one unexpected day, they were forcefully pulled from their mother's and grandmother's arms to be driven away to Moore River, an assimilation school situated 1200 miles from their home in Jigalong. This breaks the rights assured to them under Articles 12 and 16 of the Declaration of Human Rights, interfering with the security and protection of their family. On part of their way to Moore River, the girls were kept in a cage, which is inhumane and violates the rights set forth in Article 5.
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/3/0/26309760/717082984.jpg?295)
Hardships in Moore River:
Not long after arriving in Moore River, Molly, Daisy, and Gracie discover the strict, unfair treatment that resides in the school. They, along with other half-caste children, are faced with assimilation pressures such as being required to pray to eat. Authorities at the school force them to speak strictly English, dismissing their native language as "jabber" and denying them their freedom of expression. The children were also kept in large, undivided cabins that stripped them of their right to privacy. The three girls quickly decide to run away from Moore River to return home, despite the distance and risk of them being hunted down and physically punished upon return.
The Long Journey Home:
They travelled by foot for months with Mr. Neville and authorities persistently on their trail. It was evident during this part of the story that the abuse caused Molly, Daisy, and Gracie to become less trusting of people. They continuously chose theft over seeking out aid, and were not open enough to show a lot of gratitude when others helped them. Instead, they constantly stayed in a silent, unresponsive, and guarded stated.
At one point in their journey, they met a half-caste servant who went to Moore River and was being taken sexual advantage of by her employer, which suggests that even with the governments assimilation efforts, the half-caste Aboriginals are still looked upon as lesser in society and are abused.
Many cinematographic aerial shots were shown as the girls slowly made their way home, showing the great distance they had travelled and had yet to overcome which reminds the audience of their hardships and builds up catharsis.
Tragically, Gracie was captured, brought back to Moore River and never seen again by her family. Though this loss occurred along the way, the two other girls eventually made it back to Jigalong. After a journey of hardship and perseverance, Molly and Daisy were able to reunite with their family, running into their mother’s and grandmother’s arms. The director used pathetic fallacy in this scene to add its emotional depth by filming it during sunrise, creating feelings of hope and new beginnings in the audience.
Not long after arriving in Moore River, Molly, Daisy, and Gracie discover the strict, unfair treatment that resides in the school. They, along with other half-caste children, are faced with assimilation pressures such as being required to pray to eat. Authorities at the school force them to speak strictly English, dismissing their native language as "jabber" and denying them their freedom of expression. The children were also kept in large, undivided cabins that stripped them of their right to privacy. The three girls quickly decide to run away from Moore River to return home, despite the distance and risk of them being hunted down and physically punished upon return.
The Long Journey Home:
They travelled by foot for months with Mr. Neville and authorities persistently on their trail. It was evident during this part of the story that the abuse caused Molly, Daisy, and Gracie to become less trusting of people. They continuously chose theft over seeking out aid, and were not open enough to show a lot of gratitude when others helped them. Instead, they constantly stayed in a silent, unresponsive, and guarded stated.
At one point in their journey, they met a half-caste servant who went to Moore River and was being taken sexual advantage of by her employer, which suggests that even with the governments assimilation efforts, the half-caste Aboriginals are still looked upon as lesser in society and are abused.
Many cinematographic aerial shots were shown as the girls slowly made their way home, showing the great distance they had travelled and had yet to overcome which reminds the audience of their hardships and builds up catharsis.
Tragically, Gracie was captured, brought back to Moore River and never seen again by her family. Though this loss occurred along the way, the two other girls eventually made it back to Jigalong. After a journey of hardship and perseverance, Molly and Daisy were able to reunite with their family, running into their mother’s and grandmother’s arms. The director used pathetic fallacy in this scene to add its emotional depth by filming it during sunrise, creating feelings of hope and new beginnings in the audience.
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/3/0/26309760/106930037.jpg?282)
In the End:
Though their reunion felt like a satisfying conclusion, Molly and her family continued to be targeted by the Aborigines Act. Later in her life, Molly and her children were once more captured and taken back to Moore River. They eventually were able to escape back home, but she lost her youngest child who was taken away from her at age three.
Many components of the plot of this movie violated Articles 2, 12 and 16, denying the right of family protection and security based on race. The afterword at the end of the movie stated that many half-caste Aboriginal people such as the protagonists continued to face hardships from the Aborigines Act for the rest of their lives, struggling with their identities, family life, and culture. They are known as the "Stolen Generation".
The last footage in the film is of two old women traveling down a dirt road, who are later revealed to be the actual Molly and Daisy, reinforcing the fact that it was based off of a true story to the audience, strengthening the emotional impact the plot had on them.
Though their reunion felt like a satisfying conclusion, Molly and her family continued to be targeted by the Aborigines Act. Later in her life, Molly and her children were once more captured and taken back to Moore River. They eventually were able to escape back home, but she lost her youngest child who was taken away from her at age three.
Many components of the plot of this movie violated Articles 2, 12 and 16, denying the right of family protection and security based on race. The afterword at the end of the movie stated that many half-caste Aboriginal people such as the protagonists continued to face hardships from the Aborigines Act for the rest of their lives, struggling with their identities, family life, and culture. They are known as the "Stolen Generation".
The last footage in the film is of two old women traveling down a dirt road, who are later revealed to be the actual Molly and Daisy, reinforcing the fact that it was based off of a true story to the audience, strengthening the emotional impact the plot had on them.
Works Cited
Rabbit-Proof Fence. Dir. Phillip Noyce. Australian Film Finance Corporation Limited, 2002. Film.