The innocence of the police is questioned when a shocking event happened, an Aboriginal man Cameron Doomadgee was found dead in custody. The Tall Man brings to light the events of his death, writes Natasha Dos Santos.
The Tall Man aims to unveil the truth of Cameron Doomadgee’s death in police custody. Director Tony Krawitz, chooses specific techniques and archival footage to justify the reason of his death. Chloe Hooper originally published The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island in 2008. The film was released in 2011. The Tall Man describes the events of Cameron Doomadgee’s detainment by Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley and how forty-five minutes later he was found dead in his cell on the 19th November 2004.
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When he re-enacts this, Hurley explains how he made sure not to fall on Doomadgee and to make sure that Doomadgee didn’t hit his head. From Doomadgee’s coronation report, the reason for his ruptured liver and four broken ribs can only be justified by an extensive force being applied to his chest or stomach region. Furthermore, the film uses archival footage from the court case to express that Hurley is guilty.
The Tall Man, uses a range of film techniques effectively to intensify the experience for the audience. Krawitz uses close- up shots during personal interviews to express their raw emotions further. When this close- up, technique is used, the audience feels sympathy for the Doomadgee family when they are being interviewed. During interviews, the camera slowly zooms in onto the faces of the interviewees creating suspense and an overflow of emotions.
Throughout the documentary, archival footage from the court case about Cameron Doomadgee’s death in custody is used to unveil the truth. In the scene where Roy Bramwell gives his account on the 19th November 2004 in the police station, his evidence of what happens contradicts Hurley’s evidence. Hurley admits to the fact that there was a fall coming into the station however Bramwell explains that he saw Hurley punch him on the ground continuously saying, “you want more Mr Doomadgee, you want