This is the first feature film ever made in one of Australia's Aboriginal languages, and it's likely to be Australia's candidate for next year's Foreign Language Oscar; it was the winner of a Special Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
We hear (in English) the voice of a storyteller (David Gulpilil, familiar to American audiences from movies like Walkabout and Rabbit-Proof Fence) who begins, "Once upon a time, in a place far, far away..." He laughs, and tells us that this isn't that kind of story. "It's not your story," he says, "it's our story. But it's a good story."
The storyteller takes us back a thousand years, and tells us of Minygululu (Peter Minygululu), who is leading a group of ten men on the annual hunt for goose eggs. Among those men is Minygululu's younger brother, Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil, who is David's son); Minygululu is aware that Dayindi has become interested in the youngest of Minygululu's three wives, and begins to tell Dayindi a story of his own, set in the ancient times. Minygululu's story is about another chief, Ridjimiraril (Crusoe Kurrdal), who also has a younger brother, Yeeralparil (Jamie Gulpilil again); again, the younger brother has an eye for the youngest wife of the older.
We occasionally jump out of the Ridjimiraril story to follow Minygululu and his men on their goose-egg hunt; these scenes are filmed in black and white, and are almost anthropological in nature, explaining to us the process by which the men gather bark, make their canoes, and hunt for eggs. The Ridjimiraril story (which is in color) is rambling and digressive -- the storyteller compares it to a tree, and tells us that all of the branches are important -- and never goes quite where we expect it to. There is a real sense, both from the storyteller and from Minygululu, that these stories are important and worthy of respect, and must be honored by being told properly; if the story wants to wander, then it must be allowed to wander.
With the exception of David Gulpilil (who is present only in voice-over), the cast is made up of non-professional actors, and they give fine performances. The acting is perhaps less naturalistic then we're used to, but after a few minutes to get acclimated to the movie's style, that's not distracting.
What's most surprising about the movie, given its storylines about adulterous lust and accidental murder, is how funny it is. There's a nice running joke about tribal elder Birrinbirrin (Richard Birrinbirrin) and his fondness for honey; husbands and wives are constantly bickering; the young men of the tribe tease Yeeralparil about his affection for his brother's wife. The English subtitles of the Ganalbingu dialogue have a very earthy, contemporary feel, as does David Gulpilil's English narration, to which he brings a wry sense of humor that is precisely right.
More than anything, Ten Canoes reminded me of the Canadian movie The Fast Runner, which provided a similar look into ancient Inuit culture. I haven't yet heard of any plans to release Ten Canoes in the United States; it would almost surely be unrated, or rated NC-17, because the characters are largely naked throughout. (It is a plot point, in fact, when a stranger arrives wearing a loincloth; "never trust a man who covers his prick," warns Birrinbirrin.) If it does make its way to the US (or to wherever you might live), whether in theaters or on DVD, you should definitely make the effort to see it.
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