Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Winifred The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

anthonyjlangford Rolf De Heer is hands down the best filmmaker in Australia. I hope he never has to struggle for financing. Each film he makes is unique and yet the only thing that unites them is his originality and intellectual depth. The Tracker, Alexandra's Project, Bad Boy Bubby, The Old Man who Read Love Stories; these are some of the best films this country has ever produced and he does it here again with Ten Canoes.In the 1930's, Dr Donald Thompson, an anthropologist, lived and worked with the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land in an effort to bridge cultural divisions. He took some four thousand plate glass photographs which encapsulated the lives and culture of the people. These extraordinary photographs were introduced to Rolf de Heer by his good friend and collaborator, actor David Gulpilil. (The Tracker, Storm Boy). It was the image of ten canoeists hunting for goose eggs in a swamp which inspired de Heer, and provides the setting for the black and white section of the film which stars David's son, Jamie. The film is said to mirror the photographs very closely. The other, more dramatic tale occurs in mythical time and is shot in glorious stark colors with roving Steadicams.The entire film is in the Yolngu language, save David's brief voice-over, though a Yolngu language version with no subtitles also exists. This film is without white people and convention, and is all the better for it. It tears apart barriers and utilizes story telling devices in a fresh style. I felt as though I was witnessing a new form of technique, a new language of cinema, (unlike Baz Booringhams overblown toss, Australia).It is a beautiful story, rich in drama, humor and culture. The photography of Ian Jones, de Heer's frequent associate, is magnificent. Watching the lush green aerials on the big screen, juxtaposed with quiet meanderings through swamps with thick, dark canopy's is truly awe-inspiring. I hope you are able to watch it on a big wide screen; in the cinema it was exquisite.This was a cinematic experience rarely felt, a freshness of approach with a master filmmaker in command, and yet this is also the Yolngu people's film. De Heer shares directing credit with Peter Djigirr which demonstrates the level of collaboration involved. For example, there was no such thing as casting. There are people living in the region who are descended from those in the Thompson photographs, therefore, they had the right to portray their ancestors. There were many other cultural considerations that shaped the entire story and made this the most unique Australian film ever made. It certainly feels like it. I knew I was watching something very special indeed. It deserved its A.F.I. (Australian Film Institute) win for Best Film.It's hard to pick a highlight, but Richard Birrinbirrin's honey addiction is hilarious. I felt proud as an Australian that somebody had actually bothered to connect with the indigenous people of this land and discover the rich resource of their culture which is still mainly foreign to us Balanda today. I cried also, for that very same reason.Any way you look at it, from a technical point of view, to its originality and stunning imagery, to a piece of celluloid as a cultural experience, Ten Canoes is truly remarkable.

artzau As an anthropologist, I'm often faced with the task of trying to get my students to look at life through the eyes of someone from a different culture. Alas, many of the ethnographic films used are often presented in the format of "look at the friendly natives." There are exceptions, to be sure but over the years in the face of the absence of good ethnographic films, I've come to rely on good commercial films with a solid ethnographic content. Now, being a film buff as well as a social scientist, I've seen a lot of films. And, to be sure, there are some stinkers, e.g., overly romanticized or historically distorted portrayals of people in some cases, and sacrificed ethnographic facts in the spirit of "making a good story," in others. But, every once in a while a real gem comes along. Ten Canoes is such a film. The presentation and setting is authentic and the actors are all aboriginal Australians. The greatly talented David Gulpilil is joined by his son, Jamie and a crew of very talented and energetic Native Australians. The tale, based on Australian cultural lore is simple yet profound in the telling. The acting is subtle and devoid of Western theatrics. As a commercial film with a solid depiction of something from the multiplex cultures of Native Australian Aborigines, it is delightful to watch and fascinating to observe these people in the act of being themselves.

roses_are_red14 This film was absolutely mesmerizing! Gulpilil's first bizarre laugh shocked me. It was so alien! Strange! Uncontrolled! It made me look around, to see how the other people I was watching with had reacted. I didn't know how to react myself, to a laugh that was so fearless and unreserved.Those were the qualities that I appreciated most about this film. The story was told with no softening; no regard for how strange it may or may not seem to people outside their world. For once a film didn't blur the edges or offer any excuse for the way of life of the people on the screen which was so different from our homogenized experience. The film said, "they are what they are. This is the way they live. This is their story." And it was marvelous.This story was told with perfect directness, but fabulous imagination. The shots of various possible scenarios being played out took me right into the world of the characters listening to the story. Yes, these scenarios, and the changing between colour and black and white, exposed the movie for what it was - a movie - but they took me back, in my mind, to a truly innocent time, when my mum could tell me a story and the scenarios played out so clearly in my head that I really did believe there was an ankle grabber under the bed. The storytelling really was captivating in its simplicity. What a magnificent film.

tastyhotdogs Even though it's not your typical "saturday night eating popcorn" movie, we decided this was a movie worth seeing."Ten Canoes" weaves two stories together. A young aboriginal man is out hunting goose eggs with nine other men and gets chatting to an elder. The elder corners him as he knows the young fella has his eyes on his youngest wife, and wants to tell him a story from the time of his ancestors that should put him off making a move. In some cultures the young fella might just get a clip around the ear, but in their culture it involves a story taking several days to tell.May not sound fascinating, but the movie is built around what all good movies should be, an interesting story. I won't spoil it, but the story slowly builds your interest and despite the simple setting, holds your attention.It's a refreshing movie, which keeps you watching while teaching you about another culture. Well worth seeing, however if you favourite movie is "Fast and the Furious", you may not love it.