Film Technqiues
The angle at which the camera is pointed at the subject, e.g., a high tilt angle when the camera is pointed up at the subject makes the subject look large, powerful or strong. Low tilt angles make the subject look small or weak.
What is a mid shot?
This young girl leads her sister and cousin on a 1,600-km journey back home after being taken from her family.
Who is Molly?
This theme is shown through the girls' determination to return home, even when facing hunger, fear, and capture.
What is resilience?
This long man-made barrier becomes a guiding path and symbol of connection to home, culture, and survival.
What is the rabbit proof fence?
This part of the narrative introduces Molly, Gracie, and Daisy in their home community of Jigalong, showing their family life and connection to Country.
What is the exposition?
The beginning of the film. Its purpose is to introduce basic information – the setting, main characters and themes.
What is the exposition?
This character is Molly’s younger sister who bravely follows her on the journey through the outback.
Who is Daisy?
This theme is highlighted by the forced separation of children from their families under government policy.
What is the Stolen Generations?
This spiritual figure from Aboriginal Dreaming, often represented as an eagle, symbolises protection and cultural identity for the girls.
Who is Bunjil?
This event disrupts the girls' lives and sets the story in motion when they are forcibly removed from their families.
What is the rising action?
An object, colour, plot, sound, special effect, camera angle that represents or stands for something else.
What is a symbol?
She is the girls’ cousin, who struggles with the journey and is eventually recaptured.
Who is Gracie?
This powerful connection drives Molly to lead the escape and motivates all three girls to continue their journey.
What is family?
This institution symbolises colonisation, control, and the government's attempt to assimilate Aboriginal children.
What is the Moore River Settlement?
This section includes the girls’ escape from Moore River and their long journey home, filled with obstacles and close encounters.
What is the climax?
Everything in front of the camera including the set design, lighting and actors, and the ultimate way this influences the scene coming together.
What is mise-en-scene?
Though rarely shown, this person symbolises the broader system enforcing assimilation policies through their distant authority.
Who is the Chief Protector of Aborigines?
Who is AO Neville?
The journey across the harsh Australian landscape represents this broader theme of a people's struggle for identity and place.
What is connection to land?
This landscape, harsh yet sacred, symbolises both the difficulty of the girls’ journey and their deep spiritual connection to Country.
What is the Australian outback?
This moment of greatest tension occurs when the girls are nearly caught and Gracie is recaptured.
What is the falling action?
Light that hits an actor or subject from behind and helps separate the subject from the background.
What is back light?
This Aboriginal tracker is sent to find the girls, but ultimately shows signs of sympathy for their cause.
Who is Moodoo the black tracker?
This theme is reflected in the actions of A.O. Neville and the government’s belief in controlling Aboriginal lives "for their own good."
What is colonisation through forced assimilation?
This character’s clothing, desk, and photographs of the British monarchy symbolise European authority and colonisation.
Who is AO Neville?
This part of the film shows the outcome of the journey — Molly and Daisy return home, but the film also reveals that their struggle was not the end of their story.
What is the resolution?