Bran Nue Dae [PG]

Willie is an Aboriginal boy on the verge of becoming a man. Spending the holidays home in Broome with his mum and Rosie, a girl he has a crush on, Willie’s happiness is short-lived when he has to return to the city and study to be a priest, as his mother wants. But Willie doesn’t want to be a priest; he just wants to be an Aborigine and stay in Broome. So he runs away from school, hitches a ride with the drunken Uncle Tadpole and two hippies, and embarks on a road trip that will change his life. For Willie, going home never felt so good. 

I decided that I needed to see this film a second time before I decided whether or not it was a keeper. Ultimately I have decided that it was a good film, filled with wonderful music, great characters, and plenty of comedy and romance, but I think it’s a film that I could only watch once every couple of months. There’s no real need to have it in the collection. 

Willie is an Aboriginal boy on the verge of becoming a man. Spending the holidays home in Broome with his mother and Rosie, a girl he has a crush on, Willie’s happiness is short-lived when he has to go back to the city and study to be a priest: as his mother wants. But Willie doesn’t want to be a priest, he just wants to be an Aborigine and stay in Broome: his own Heaven on Earth. So he runs away from school, hitches a ride with the drunken Uncle Tadpole and two hippies, and goes on a cross-country road trip that will change his life. For Willie, going home never felt so good. 

I think the best way to describe this film, in a word, is interesting. It was a sort of smattering of everything and the mixture of native Aboriginal rituals and dances mixed with the occasional Broadway-style musical numbers was a really interesting blend and made for good entertainment. 

The main appeal of the film lies in the collection of recognisable names that make up the cast, and each person delivered a brilliant performance, particularly Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, and Geoffrey Rush. 

There were a handful of things that stood out for me: a) the cast b) the catchy songs c) the cheesiness and abruptness of the ending, and d) the condom tree. Need I say more? 

Starring Rocky McKenzie, Dan Sultan, Jessica Mauboy, Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, Deborah Mailman, Tom Budge, and Magda Szubanski, Bran Nue Dae was a good film filled with comedy, romance, catchy songs, memorable characters, and condoms. It’s a good film, but I don’t think I could watch it over and over again.

There's nothing I would rather be than to be an Aborigine and watch you take my precious land away.