Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Mad Bastards

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Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 05-07-2011, 08:14 PM:

Reading the newspapers on the problems faced by remote Aboriginal communities, we could be forgiven for thinking that the indigenous nation is completely bereft of hope amidst a narrative of alcoholism, child abuse and domestic violence. But in a new era of indigenous leadership spearheaded by the likes of Noel Pearson, Marcia Langton, Galarrwuy Yunupingu and Warren Mundine, Aboriginal activism is making way for self-applied practical social solutions and the future is bright, even though the road may be a long and winding one.

Into this narrative plunges Brendan Fletcher's debut feature, Mad Bastards, a film about TJ (Dean Daley-Jones) and his attempts to escape the violent rage of his past and reconnect with a son he abandoned before birth. Made with mostly non-actors on an improvised script evolving largely out of the real lives of its stars, Fletcher's film is a risky proposition but the result is remarkable.

This is no less than Australia's own Once Were Warriors, although perhaps more accurately the story is more akin to What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted. This is a weighty accolade but a thoroughly deserving one. As Once Were Warriors celebrated the noble honour of the Maori tradition juxtaposed against the problems of an ancient culture struggling to find relevance in a modern society, so does Mad Bastards celebrate honourable Aboriginal traditions, a love of the land, and cultural pride against a backdrop of what has become a fractious social reality. And like Warriors, Mad Bastards doesn't deny the problems facing its subjects but nevertheless its underlying tone is steeped in hope rather than insurmountable despair.

By way of its amateur cast, the message is delivered effectively in a manner which is both honest and earnest and the music is wonderfully spellbinding. It is an important film for whitefellas and blackfellas alike; highlighting the nobility of Aboriginal culture for the former while providing a beacon of hope for the latter. Sadly, being an Aussie flick, it won't receive the audience it deserves despite the accolades lavished upon it at Sundance but we live in hope.

8.5 out of 10.