Displaying items by tag: We Don't Need a Map movie

WE DON'T NEED A MAP

Australia, 2017, 85 minutes, Colour.

Directed by Warwick Thornton.

Two compelling reasons to watch this documentary from 2017. First is the subject. Secondly, the writer-director.

The reason for the title is that Warwick Thornton is making a film about the Southern Cross and its role in aboriginal lore, the vastness of the stars, the recognition of the stars in the Southern Cross, its role in guiding people in their travels, its symbolism with various myths.

There is a focus on the Eureka flag, with the Southern Cross, and the suggestion that it could be interpreted as a swastika, something that upset people in 2017. Warwick Thornton has invited quite a range of talking heads, many aboriginal leaders, writer and commentator, Bruce Pascoe, singer, Adam Briggs, and many more.

The narrative of the film encompasses indigenous history, pre-1788, and the relationships between the first peoples of the land and those who came from elsewhere. Thornton uses the device of small creative scrap-iron puppets to dramatise the events.

For those who are familiar with the history from 1788, conflicts, the authorities, the squatters, the hostilities, massacres, this film presents a dramatic visual and thematic overview. For those not familiar, for younger audiences, indigenous audiences to appreciate history, it is interesting and provocative.

The second reason for watching this film is to appreciate the career of Warwick Thornton, his background, photography, filmmaking, early documentaries, his formal training, his work as a cinematographer, his breakthrough feature film, 2009, Samson and Delilah. He often works with his famous cinematographer son, Dylan River. This includes a six part documentary about Thornton and his life, The Beach.

At the time of this documentary, Thornton was making his second feature film, Sweet Country, racist prejudices and wars at the time of World War I and its aftermath, a winner of many awards. Thornton was to make The New Boy, drawing on his time in Catholic education at New Norcia, the continuation of the themes of Sweet Country in Wolfram, the exploitation of indigenous child labour in the search for tungsten. (Thornton also directed some episodes of televisions, Mystery Road.)

A significant contribution to Australian history, race history.