Rabbit-Proof Fence
July 2003 Reviewed by: Anthony Di Marco Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

We live in a world where a topic’s importance is equal to the amount of time the six o’clock news allots it. Add to this the sad fact that people often only care about what directly affects them and it becomes obvious that many are ignorant of world events. Films offer entertainment, but also a conduit through which to showcase those historical events that would otherwise go unnoticed. And since the key to learning from one’s mistakes is to know history, well-told and accurate films about the past are invaluable. I never knew about the atrocities that occurred in Australia in the 1930s. The Australian government’s plan to eradicate Aboriginal bloodlines from that country’s gene pool may have been smaller in scope than Nazi ambitions, but was nonetheless just as evil.

Kenneth Branagh’s A.O. Neville reminds us of Hitler without the trademark moustache: clenched lips, a bad haircut, and a belief that his plan to "breed-out colored blood" is in his country’s best interest. A meeting Neville has with a group of white women is powerful in the way it depicts the plans of a madman. The women have been chosen to adopt what Neville calls "half-castes" or children that are the product of mixed Aboriginal and white marriages. He believes that by crossbreeding white with colored, and then mating white with half-castes, all traces of the Aborigine would be removed after three generations. Three children named Gracie, Molly, and Daisy are just a sample of those who are targeted by Neville’s plan. The girls are to be transplanted from their home of Jigalong to Neville’s Moore River settlement so that they may be trained as servants.

The story of Rabbit-Proof Fence is a simple one. Led by Molly, Gracie and Daisy escape the Moore River settlement and use the "rabbit-proof fence" as a means of finding their way home. The fence is meant to keep rabbits away from fragile farmland but could also be considered a metaphor for the segregation and ultimate eradication of the Aborigine from Australia’s white population. The girls are pursued by the authorities over 1200 miles of brutal Australian outback, but manage to evade them through the kindness of others and Molly’s cunningness and determination. I won’t spoil the ending by telling you the outcome. Suffice to say it is both bittersweet and harrowing.

One should not mistake Christopher Doyle’s cinematography for the work of a novice. While the over and underexposed pictures may contradict the crystal-clear images of high-budget Hollywood films, the photography on Rabbit-Proof Fence does a great job at highlighting the various stages of the girls’ journey. From the warm, slightly overexposed, natural colors of Jigalong, to the cold, stark, high-definition quality of Moore River, Doyle is interested in conveying the mood and environment of each location and character. Overall the DVD transfer is good. But problems arise when MPEG compression comes across the film grain that appears in overexposed, low-light scenes. In these situations dark complexions and fine detail are replaced with noise. The effect isn’t horrible, but it is distracting. One could argue that it imparts more of a documentary feel to the story.

The audio is very good. This is a soundtrack that revels in the details of atmosphere and mood. Peter Gabriel’s fantastic score sits at the center of a very natural 5.1 mix that submerges the viewer in the sounds of the outback. The mix may not be as subtle or layered as, for example, the mix for M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, but it succeeds in placing the viewer right in the middle of the action.

Extras are limited to a feature-length commentary and a 45-minute "Making of" documentary. The commentary is very good -- albeit a little light on input from Peter Gabriel. Director Noyce takes most of the spotlight, and manages to communicate comments that are both informative and interesting. I only wish that all of the talent could have been in the room at the same time instead being recorded in separate sessions and spliced together. Still the commentary was more involving than most, and was coupled with an excellent, in-depth, completely honest documentary that stands as a perfect example of quality over quantity.

There are many films that need to artificially create tension to make their story more compelling. Films like Rabbit-Proof Fence don’t have to create tension because their stories are naturally compelling. Knowing that Molly, Daisy, and Gracie are not fictional characters makes the experience even more effective. And that makes Rabbit-Proof Fence a definite must-see.

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