Clare finds herself trapped in a penal colony and at the mercy of a cruel English Lieutenant. She is supposed to be set free, having served her time, but the Lieutenant doesn't want to lose his beautiful Nightingale. This ends with the murder of Clare's husband and baby, and rape of Clare. The Lieutenant then leaves on a long trek to secure a promotion. Filled with grief and holy vengeance she enlists a local Aboriginan guide, Billy, to track and hunt down the Lieutenant.
This is a raw, violent and sometimes very unsettling story. Clare and Billy represent the lowest on the social ladder, a lone woman and an Aborigian, in a racist and oppressive society. There is a deep mistrust both between them and the rest of the society. It's unsettling, sometimes even nauseating, to see how people were mistreated. But it's also brave and important to tell this story like that, so that history is not forgotten.
Sometimes though, I find that the movie becomes a bit one dimensional and single minded. Especially with the always evil and throughout rotten Lieutenant. He is the devil himself. Clare (understandably) is filled up with vengeance. It got a bit too much at times Perhaps the story would have benefitted of more depth and complexity in the characters.
This is a raw, violent and sometimes very unsettling story. Clare and Billy represent the lowest on the social ladder, a lone woman and an Aborigian, in a racist and oppressive society. There is a deep mistrust both between them and the rest of the society. It's unsettling, sometimes even nauseating, to see how people were mistreated. But it's also brave and important to tell this story like that, so that history is not forgotten.
Sometimes though, I find that the movie becomes a bit one dimensional and single minded. Especially with the always evil and throughout rotten Lieutenant. He is the devil himself. Clare (understandably) is filled up with vengeance. It got a bit too much at times Perhaps the story would have benefitted of more depth and complexity in the characters.