Photo: Still from Charlie's Country
David Gulpilil delivers a soaring performance as Charlie, a native Australian feeling alienated in his own land. His performance earned him Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival.
Charlie is down and out, crushed by the rules and regulations imposed by the "white man." He is a hunter, but he is not allowed to own a spear or a gun without the necessary permits. Charlie tries to find his way in his own "Motherland’," but things aren’t as easy as they seemed.
Besides the riveting performance by Gulpilil and the tight script, there are genuine moments of laughter and the film goes beyond the obvious to explore bigger questions. There is an ever present notion of a land stolen by settlers, with scraps given to the original inhabitants. In the film, laws and regulations seem like tools of oppression rather than organisation. Native Australians also struggle with how to preserve their cultural heritage against the march of time.
The film is full of natural scenery. There are numerous provocative conversations between Charlie with his people, and white authorities. Viewing the story from his perspective highlights how foreigners who took his land view him as foreign.
Charlie’s Country is thought-provoking and offers rare insight into the lives and thoughts of native Australians having to deal with a reality enforced upon them.
Charlie’s Country will be screened in Hadara 2 Hall on Thursday, 13 November, at 2pm.
Check the Cairo International Film Festival's complete programme and Ahram Online's recommendations.
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