David Gulpilil as The Storyteller
Jamie Gulpilil as Dayindi/Yeeralparil Also the people of Ramingining
A highly original film which
breaks new ground not just in Australian cinema, but in world
cinema. The dialogue in entirely spoken in the native tongue
of the Aboriginal cast members, who portray characters from
their own tribe's recent and mythological past. They act in
a state of near constant total nudity. The narrative operates
on three layers. The narrator explains his story, then guides
us into the 'duck egg hunt' story which is black and white and
based on a 1930s photograph that inspirs the film originally,
and from the duck hunt we go into a third story, told by an
older hunter to a younger one, about a mythological parable
which is shown in full vivid colour. Stunning cinematography
of the Northern Territory combined with the sheer originality
of the story, plus the unexpected joy of the vibrant humour
throughout, make this a must-see film experience. It is quite
slow though, so the big screen is recommended in order to fully
concentrate and savour the film's abundant delights.
