An insight into the Outback

Sticking as closely as possible to the often strange and convoluted patterns of Aboriginal oral history, the film has an English narration by David Gulpilil to take us through, and is dramatically set in Arnhem Land in Australia's Northern Territory.

"Once upon a time in a land far, far away," begins Gulpilil, Australia's favourite Aborigine performer, before adding, "I'm only joking." De Heer obviously doesn't want to get too solemn.

After a framing device inspired by photographs by the celebrated Thirties anthropologist David Thomson, we see that Dayindi (played by Gulpilil's son, Jamie) has designs on the youngest of the three wives of a village elder. He must be taught a lesson from the past - this is the film's subject.

Back stories, digressionsand detours are the order of the day, as the Aborigine cast perform without self-consciousness. Beautiful widescreen cinematography from Ian Jones captures the kind of strange wetland and jungle locations that a director like Werner Herzog would envy.

Even though the tale is totally serious - about respect, understanding and honour - humour continually breaks out: idle husbands are berated by their wives, a fat elder with a penchant for honey is mocked and the men joke and brag about their virility.

Ten Canoes is a movie the like of which you will not have seen before. But then most of De Heer's films, such as The Quiet Room and Alexandra's Project, evince an original mind, a powerful sense of drama and a decent heart, too.

Ten Canoes
Cert: 15