Last week I went to a charity fundraiser for the Friends of Baucau. Friends of who? Baucau is the second largest city in East Timor, home to the country’s largest airport as well as its shipping port. A great deal of Baucau’s infrastructure was destroyed during the country’s independence vote in 1999. A friend of mine was working for the organisation and the film night fundraiser was her pet project, hence my presence there.

So what did we see? Ten Canoes, the first feature length film that is spoke entirely (excusing the narrative role) in indigenous Aboriginal language. I wasn’t sure about going to see this film but my money was going to a good cause, so I felt I would be able to keep an open mind. It’s amazing what you’ll discover when you open your mind to explore other ideas.

Ten Canoes is a story within a story. The young Dayindi (played by Jamie Gulpilil) is out on his first goose hunt, absorbing the knowledge of the elder hunters. He also gains a life lesson from his elder brother Minygululu (played by Peter Minygululu), the leader of his tribe, because the young Dayindi has taken a shine to the youngest of his three wives. The life lesson takes the shape of an old Aboriginal story about one of the first great warriors, Ridjimiraril (played by Crusoe Kurddal), and the consequences of when his younger brother harboured feelings similar to the ones Dayindi felt.

Sounds shit? It’s not. The movie is a marvellous journey, a rambling story with neither urgency to reach its conclusion nor to render parts of the story to colour filling. As Minygululu says to the young Dayindi, “A story is like a tree, and each branch needs to be told so the whole tree can be fully understood”. Each part of the story explores (albeit somehwat superficially at times) various aspects of Aboriginal tribal culture. Not to be confused with the juxtaposed westernised welfare dependent Aboriginal culture Australians have become so accustomed to. The relaxed cheeky narration by David Gulpilil, Australia’s best known and most revered Aboriginal actor (none of this Crocodile Dundee crap), adds a level of intimacy with the audience. A familiarity that makes you feel wlecome to come along for the journey and explore what you otherwise wouldn’t.

A couple of complaints I’ve heard:
1) the movie has a mysoginistic feel. Of course it does. Men were all that really mattered in the old culture, women were wives and nothing more. Get over it - it’s a culture that dates back tens of millenia.
2) the movie would have been better as a short film. Um, I think this person missed the point of the film. Go watch it for yourself, and you’ll see what I mean. I’d hate to spoil a great story.