Scaling the Rabbit Proof Fence
Rabbit-Proof Fence is the true story of how three little mixed-race girls were taken from their Aboriginal families and sent to a state-run school 1,500 miles away.
The girls – Molly (Everlyn Sampi), Daisy (Tianna Sansbury) and Gracie (Laura Monaghan) – were unwilling participants in the Australian government’s attempts to dilute the blackness of the population.
From 1905 to 1971, hundreds of children were put in these schools to train to be servants and labourers.
Despite the obvious barbarity of the programme, Molly, Daisy and Gracie are more concerned with the fact that they miss their families and they decide to escape.
There’s only one problem, the 1,500 miles of rugged and hostile wilderness.
Superbly shot with some stunning glimpses of the rugged Australian landscape, Rabbit-Proof Fence’s real strength is the performances given by some of the more experienced members of the cast.
Jason Clarke excels as Constable Riggs, the man with the unenviable task of taking the children from their distraught parents, as does David Gulpilil as Moodoo the tracker.
Kenneth Branagh manages to keep some of his more flamboyant tendencies under control as Neville, the government official responsible for the racist and brutal programme.
Drama, 12. ***
