By Daniel Bradley
I stumbled across this film whilst searching for something to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon outside of the football season. A fan of documentaries, foreign cinema and canoes, I saw the name Ten Canoes and felt compelled to stop and watch a while.
I was taken in immediately by the laid back narrator, this film is a First nations production from Australia, a story written for a Western audience (with moments of unexpected 'western' (read: universal)), set in the distant past. A story about a man's designs on his brother's wife, but it's so much more than that. It's about life and death, respect and a different way of life. If you want a window into tribal Australia before the dawn of the modern age, and a bit of a hoot to boot, watch this.
Good bits: Fragmented, original filming techniques that are simple, and yet unconventional. Light hearted humour throughout and an eye-opening view of an underrepresented culture. And gratuitous nudity.
Bad bits: Length of the death ceremony.
For fans of Australia.
Rating: 7/10
