Review: Bran Nue Dae

Bran Nue Dae. 85 minutes. Rated PG. Directed by Rachel Perkins; Written by Rachel Perkins, Reg Cribb and Jimmy Chi.

While it's possible to fault, it is equally as impossible not to like Bran Nue Dae; Ms Perkins' (One Night The Moon, Radiance and the Logie Award-winning documentary First Australians) fearless and irreverent adaptation of Jimmy Chi's ground-breaking 1990 stage musical.

It is 1965, and 'Willie' (an engaging Rocky McKenzie) is an Aboriginal boy on the cusp of manhood who is juggling his carefree life in Broome, his burgeoning romance with 'Rosie' (a delightful Jessica Mauboy) with his mother Theresa's (the wonderful Ningala Lawford) dream that he become a Catholic Priest. Reluctantly, Willie returns to boarding school and the tutelage of the fearsome Father Benedictus (a robust Geoffrey Rush). Following an altercation, Willie runs away to return to his beloved Broome (and Rosie) – helped along by 'Uncle Tadpole' (Ernie Dingo), and hippy, combivan-driving backpackers 'Annie' (a charming Missy Higgins) and her German boyfriend 'Slippery' (an hysterical Tom Budge) … with Father Benedictus in hot pursuit.

Beautifully filmed by Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie (The Lovely Bones, The Lord of The Rings), Bran Nue Dae belts along with never a dull moment, helped enormously by the immediacy of its fantastic score, its complete lack of pretentiousness and the spirited performances by an outstanding cast. There are wonderful cameos from Magda Szubanksi (as the gun-toting 'Roadhouse Betty') and Deborah Mailman (as the insatiable 'Roxanne') – but the film belongs to Ernie Dingo (who created the role on stage), and whose performance reaches entirely unexpected depths. Dingo's is a marvellously authoritative presence, and one that is critical to the film's cultural resonance – particularly in a startlingly haunting 'dream' sequence when our adventurers find themselves locked up for the night and an hilarious 'bone-pointing' scene.

Critically, Bran Nue Dae also contributes to the increasing wealth of Australian films made by Indigenous Australians. But while it flirts with the harsh realities of alcoholism and sexual promiscuity, Bran Nue Dae is ultimately far more concerned with the grand theme of freedom: freedom to find your own particular joy amongst the mess of humanity and all its wonderful inconsistencies. The sea-side denoument is a celebration of the crucial role mutual understanding and forgiveness play in resolving life's conflicts, and it is the resolution of this big-hearted theme that makes Bran Nue Dae supremely entertaining.

This review was commissioned by The Geraldton Guardian and published in the print edition.