Charlie's Country

An official selection at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, Charlie's Country pairs renowned director Rolf de Heer with screen legend David Gulpilil for their third film collaboration following the multi-award winning Ten Canoes and their first feature The Tracker.

Gulpilil stars as blackfella Charlie, who is getting older and is out of sorts. The government intervention is making life more difficult in his remote community; with the 'proper' policing of whitefella laws that don't generally make much sense and Charlie's kin seeming more interested in going along with things than doing anything about. So Charlie takes off, to live the old way, but in doing so sets off a chain of events in his life that has him return to his community chastened and somewhat wiser.

Gulpilil is absolutely captivating, drawing the audience in with a character both vulnerable and dignified and at times joyously comical. A representation of Aboriginal Australia today, Charlie's Country balances an insightful political undertone with the deeply personal story of one man's search for belonging and is a beautifully crafted film that is both humorous and heart-rending.

Classification: M

Running time: 104 minutes