RABBIT-PROOF FENCE

RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002)

RATING-PG for emotional thematic material.

THEME- Racism, Eugenics. Courage, Justice.

STORY- Set in 1930's Australia, the film is fiction based on fact. The Australian government official policy with respect to half-caste Aboriginal children is to steal (literally) them from their mothers (the white fathers were usually long gone) and put them in training schools where they were trained for menial work in white society. A.O. Neville (rhymes with devil) is the official government overseer of this program and believes that if assimilated into white society the half-castes will lose their Aborigine traits within two generations and his goal is to rid Australia of any trace of the half-castes. How many times in history do we look back and say, 'WHAT WERE THEY THINKING'? and this is certainly one. What's even more incredible is this policy continued until 1970 and, apparently, the Australian government has never offered an apology to this 'Stolen Generation. The film's story centers on three half-castes (Molly-14, Gracie-11, Daisy-8) who are stolen literally from their mothers' arms and hauled 1500 miles away to the training school. Unhappy and angry, Molly leads the other two out of the school determined to find her way home. No one has ever escaped and not been found by 'The Tracker', ironically a father with a daughter in the school. The girls discover that the Rabbit-Proof Fence (the world's longest fence is designed to keep the pestilence of rabbits out of farmers' fields) is not far away and by following that it will lead them home. What follows is an adventure you have to see to appreciate as they make their way across the outback pursued by The Tracker and Australian Police. A fascinating look at a very low point in Western culture. Very suitable for family viewing. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews 9/29/2007

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD, TRAILER, ROGER EBERT (3.5/4.0)