Rabbit-Proof Fence
Dir: Phillip Noyce
2002
***
Rabbit-Proof Fence raises awareness of a very important and shameful chapter in Australian history but I'm not sure it does as good a job as it could have done. It feels more like a 'feel good' film rather than what it is, a horrific reality. It is directed beautifully and acted well, particularly by the three young children playing Molly, Daisy and Gracie. It was lovely to see the real Molly and Daisy at the end of the film and to hear them talk briefly of their ordeal but I don't feel it was enough. Yes, the fact that they managed to find their way home after escaping the camp is an awe-inspiring story but the really horrific parts like the fact that Gracie didn't survive, the camps went on for many decades and that most of the kids were sent away seemed to be skipped over. In order for us to truly appreciate the amazing escape, we need to know what they were escaping from in all its uncomfortable detail.