Ten Canoes
Directed by Rolf de Heer.
Ten Canoes is a new film by Adelaidian Rolf de Heer. It breaks new ground simply by existing because the all-Aboriginal cast speaks exclusively in the Ganalbingu language. The Story Teller/narrator (voice of David Gulpilil), however, speaks in English.
He tells us a story which begins with a group of Aborigines on a canoe-making expedition. Their leader is an old man who has three wives. His wifeless younger brother is also amongst the group, and it is revealed that he covets his brother’s youngest wife. Aware of this, the older brother tells him a story, as they make the canoes, about a young man who coveted his brother’s wife in ancient times, setting up a story-within-a-story scenario. The narrator explains that the story is being used to send the brother on “the right path”.
Ten Canoes has some very charming aspects. It is quite funny at times as well as being slightly sad in parts. The actors put in flawless performances, although they aren’t required to extend themselves a hell of a lot. There is also some very fine cinematography.
But there are some problems with Ten Canoes. In the early stages the narrator really labours the “story-telling” concept. Part of the point of Ten Canoes is to draw the audience into the world of the indigenous oral story tradition, but the film suffers from a hell of a lot of telling and explaining via the narration. Subtlety is left at the door.
In fact the narration is just awful. It’s not Gulpilil’s fault — it’s just stupid writing. We are told several times that Ten Canoes is not a typical story “but is still a good story”, which comes across as being overly self-justifying and defensive. At times it’s like having the director sitting next to you and nudging you with his elbow whenever he thinks you might be missing something important.
3/5 with narration. Maybe 4/5 if you block your ears.
Shannon Burns
