Here I Am

There's something "different' about the films coming out of Aboriginal groups in Australia. I asked an artist, Alan, in the Tiwi Islands: 'What is it with you guys that you make such great pictures?' Alan replied: 'You whitefellas have to go to college to learn to paint;' and putting his hand on his chest, 'It comes from in here.' Recently we have seen 'Rabbit Proof Fence', 'Toomelah', 'Samson and Delilah', and now 'Here I am'. This movie is not quite S & D, but it has the same cinematographer. Bec Cole and her husband have gone into the city, when so many Australian films have used the outback. This is not a pretty film, and I would have liked to give it a higher rating. It is well shot, and the performances from the tyro actors are truly remarkable. The same day I visited an exhibition by photographer Martin Mischkulnig, 'Smalltown', which is set in outback Australia. But his pictures are of 'white' Australia, landscapes and genre photos mostly without people. I cannot imagine an Aboriginal team making pictures without people.

An early post has described the film very well. I can but say, I'll try to see it again, and I hope many people give it the same value. I've never sat in a room with Aboriginal women in a shelter, but this film made me feel I was there.

It is a huge mistake to have songs...where the lyrics tie into the story. It is the height of contrived nonsense...and never works. All of the music in this pretentious little movie is wrong. Director, Beck Cole forgot why people go to the movies. It is to be entertained. This movie is about issues that have been covered hundreds of times before. There is nothing new here...when the end came I could not believe it. The lead actress here Karen Burden...does that Indigenous "thing" very poorly. We all know the world is not fair, and there are millions of true blue losers. I am sure Beck had very little money to play with, but coming up with a movie like this means she will find it hard to persuade anyone to back her again.

This movie reminded me of classic Scorsese directed drama Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). Both films are about the struggles of a single mother trying to eke out an existence in tragic circumstances. I found it to be quite compelling. The acting and direction is really very good. Its not often I can say this about drama films, but I've now seen this movie three times and each time I've found something profound in it.