A Cannes Film Festival hit, Ten Canoes recalls Nicolas Roeg’s classic Walkabout as well as breakthrough 1980s African cinema hits such as Yaaba in its retelling of ancient myths with a contemporary feel and a wry sense of humour.
The film was developed in concert with the Indigenous community of Ramingining and features a complex narrative structure, with an omniscient storyteller (played by David Gulpilil) and the use of flashbacks, flash forwards and ample digressions to tell a story of love, sorcery, revenge and adventure set in a mythical past.
This is a gentle, thoughtful film, surprisingly witty and maintaining a sophisticated balance between magical realism and hard-headed practicality. A fable for our times, engrossing and mesmeric.