Film Review: Rabbit-Proof Fence

Director 2002. Phillip Noyce PG 95 minutes. Everlyn Sampi, Kenneth Branagh, David Gulpilil.

“Rabbit-Proof Fence” is a fact-based, independently produced film about the extraordinary Outback journey home of three young Aboriginal girls. It is set in 1931 in the latter stages of Australia’s ‘protectionist’ era. ‘Full-blood’ Aborigines were being isolated in remote settlements, and ‘half-castes’ – children of mixed parentage such as our protagonists – were being separated from their families supposedly in their own, and society’s, best interests. The White Australia policy is in full swing and the viewer is an eye-witness to the heartless manner in which children are forcibly taken from their mothers and sent to institutions and foster homes.

In Australia, “Rabbit-Proof Fence” is being hailed by critics and social commentators alike as a benchmark, not just because of the impressive skills of Hollywood (and Australian) film director Phillip Noyce (“The Quiet American”, “Clear and Present Danger”), the presence of big names like Academy Award-winner Kenneth Branagh (who plays the Chief Protector of Aborigines and legal guardian of all ‘half-castes’) and the gracefully aging David Gulpilil (as the Aboriginal tracker who helped the children escape), or the wonderful performances of the young Aboriginal actors – in particular the star of the show, Everlyn Sampi. Films such as “Rabbit-Proof Fence” challenge the ‘Great Australian Silence’ on the unhappy 215-year history of relations between Aborigines and non-Aborigines.

For those who were victims of the vile policies of child separation, the film opens the door to the wider public on a long held secret. Between the late 1890s and 1970, official policy governing the ‘welfare’ of Aboriginal youth resulted in over 100,000 children being ‘stolen’ in the manner depicted in the film. The jury is still out on whether the assimilative intent of this ethnocidal practice - the young ‘in-mates’ were required to deny their Aboriginality – was also genocidal.

Surviving members of these so-called Stolen Generations are still finding their way home, and this is why “Rabbit-Proof Fence” is having such an impact at the box office in Australia, the United States, and elsewhere. Three kids from Jigalong escaped. Over a six week period, they walked 1600 kilometers across desolate territory following a rabbit-proof fence all the way back to their country in the East Pilbara - an unbelievable achievement. They took on the system and won a fleeting victory. It was, of course, inevitable that they would be recaptured and sent back to the encampment of their nightmares, but their story remains an inspiration to all seekers of freedom, no matter what the setting.

Some viewers might argue that the film does not go far enough in denouncing a nationwide policy that tore countless Aboriginal families apart. They might complain that “Rabbit-Proof Fence” is an adventure yarn that doubles as a docudrama, but would surely not hesitate in saying it is a step in the right direction. Soft sell of this nature may be the only way to proceed, for non-Aboriginal Australians with knowledge and/or direct links to this shameless chapter of Australian history often refuse to speak of the fate of the unacknowledged and unwanted Aboriginal children of their brothers, fathers, uncles or grandfathers. If they do speak out, they often go on the defensive, and alert us to the selfless dedication of administrators and missionaries who were trying to solve the ‘half-caste’ problem and prepare these ‘unfortunate’ kids for useful lives in an underclass in Australian society.

At an official level, Australian governments and courts express concern at the fate of some long-suffering victims from the Stolen Generations. But they balk at the idea that this was a ‘crime against humanity’, and refuse to consider the payment of compensation to those individuals who were exposed to sexual exploitation, forced labor, and humiliating living conditions at the hands of those charged with their long-term care.

“Rabbit-Proof Fence” challenges the long-held and archaic understandings that underpinned Australia’s racist policies, and it will surely be remembered for its contribution towards the achievement of reconciliation in Australia, quite apart from its stunning cinematography and impressive storytelling.