Bran Nue Dae (2009) is a film directed by accomplished Aboriginal director Rachel Perkins, based on the acclaimed stage play by Chi & Knuckles (1991). An exuberant road movie musical full of effervescent energy and infectious humour that captures the screen from its initial frame. This film is set in 1969 in the coastal pearling town of Broome that follows the story of Willie an Aboriginal teenager who escapes from a religious boarding school and sets on a hero’s journey to return to his home town. On this quest type narrative, the protagonist encounters eccentric characters, such as Uncle Tadpole, played by Ernie Dingo who convincingly portrays the complex character. This movie is not bound by the traditional Aboriginal narratives which often
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Fordham (2013) argues that “Brand Nue Dae” is part of this new wave of “reconciliatory cinema” which aims to project a more optimistic resolution were Indigenous communities can themselves resolve their own concerns. The political issues within the film are intertwined in an often subtle as well abstract manner, through the use of complex characters searching for their identities and dealing with ongoing issues of despair and dispossession. This director deliberately uses stereotypes with a hint of irony in order to ridicule assumptions laid upon Aboriginals by the greater circle of society with the ultimate goal to challenge such. This is exemplified through the complex nature of Uncle Tadpole were he exaggerates his Indigenous identity by using animal references, in order to meld into the idea what others perceive Aboriginals to be, perhaps as a method of commenting upon wider Australia. While the film alludes to the ever historical presence of previous injustices, it manages to set a new parallel to guide towards a new beginning, a ‘Bran Nue Day”, celebrating a young man’s resistance to
Fordham (2013) argues that “Brand Nue Dae” is part of this new wave of “reconciliatory cinema” which aims to project a more optimistic resolution were Indigenous communities can themselves resolve their own concerns. The political issues within the film are intertwined in an often subtle as well abstract manner, through the use of complex characters searching for their identities and dealing with ongoing issues of despair and dispossession. This director deliberately uses stereotypes with a hint of irony in order to ridicule assumptions laid upon Aboriginals by the greater circle of society with the ultimate goal to challenge such. This is exemplified through the complex nature of Uncle Tadpole were he exaggerates his Indigenous identity by using animal references, in order to meld into the idea what others perceive Aboriginals to be, perhaps as a method of commenting upon wider Australia. While the film alludes to the ever historical presence of previous injustices, it manages to set a new parallel to guide towards a new beginning, a ‘Bran Nue Day”, celebrating a young man’s resistance to