The Tracker

source: The Tracker

The Tracker. Directed by Rolf de Heer. **** "God respects our law, as He respects also yours... maybe more." "Alexandra's Project", De Heer's wicked, dark and brilliant 2003 film opened here back in April. Before that, hardly anyone knew who he was. But now he is starting to have a name around here. "The Tracker" which will have its commercial run here during the summer , thanks to the UNAM Festival, and no thanks to the distributors who have foolishly ignored it, and who are more worried about going after French crap like "Tais-Tois" and "Pere at Fils". It is a rare brilliant gem that came from beautiful Australia, being also overlooked in the U.S., getting a tiny exhibition circuit. But I'm so glad I've had the chance to watch (twice!) this amazing motion picture. It's outstanding in deed. I don't know how to even start praising it. Director, Rolf de Heer, is a brave auteur. Both "Alexandra's..." and "Tracker" were made with a very reduced budget, with very few people in the cast, no FX, few resources. But, hear my words, the man HAS talent. He has created gripping, engaging, original films that make you stay on your seat, UNTIL THE FILM ENDS. I felt "Alexandra's..." was a little uneven but "Tracker" it practically flawless; It doesn't have one weak moment. He knows how to be a good storyteller. He knows how to let the film flow, with a minimum number of characters. And he doesn't need the corniness Linkater used for his "Before Sunrise / Sunset" to succeed. He wrote the screenplay for "Tracker". The dialogues are beautiful, yet natural; they never sounded overworked. Sometimes the situations are funny, other times are tragic and moving, still there's a perfect balance on this and there's the best character development I've seen in years; the film lasts for 90 minutes, when it's over, we know A LOT about each one of the characters. The cast is superb. David Gulpilil is great as usual. Grant Page as the Veteran is funny and charismatic. And the great acting wrestle involves Gary Sweet as the Fanatic and Damon Gameau as the Follower. They are both PERFECT. Right in the note. Jackpot. They did their best to get into the characters' shoes and the brilliant results are at sight. Violence is showed in a very measured, respectful way, but the film still manages to be very provoking and disturbing. Racism is a delicate matter, so the way the characters change from racists to anti-racists and back again could stir up the debate. Their personalities are so HUMAN, so ambiguous, like the beautiful landscapes we see through the film. The film looks good an it is. The beautiful folk songs are an essential piece of this work. And though, it never, never gets preachy I think it portrays a valuable lesson to learn: Hope and Peace, will come when Respect and Tolerance are brought to pass between Nations. So Mr. Bush, please watch this film. 10/10

This movie was excellent. I stumbled upon this one at the video store and since I have one of those subscriptions, I figured why not, it wont cost me anything to rent this, so I did, and it was superb, well worth the watch. Well casted, the actors played their parts very well. Though the movie had little action, the music brought it to life The soundtrack was superb, it was a major part that brought the film to life, it somehow brought each character to life and told who they were, though the characters had no names, they were developed throughout the film well.

The music MAKES the movie. I believe the director of the film wrote the words and Graham Tardif did the music. I would kill to get my hands on the soundtrack. Unfortunately, it is an almost unknown movie, so the chance of finding the soundtrack is next to nil. The tracker, fanatic and follower were great characters, as were the last 10-15 minutes of the movie, which in my book earns it a 10. The BEST Aussie movie I have seen. It belongs in the center of the pool room. I can't get the music out of my head. There are long periods without dialogue, just the viewer, the music and the Australian outback - a beautiful place if you know it. If the scenery appeals to you, and you enjoy a good read, then try The Tree Of Man by Patrick White.

As far as Western films go, the Tracker is nothing groundbreaking or particularly accomplished. I'd compare it to Anthony Mann's Naked Spur, another beautiful looking wilderness bounty-hunter film with a primary interest in psychological tension between morally ambiguous characters. Like Naked Spur, there is a trickster figure, an innocent, a veteran trailblazer, and a sadistic military figure. There is plenty of intrigue between characters as new situations arise, but The Tracker lacks the complexity of the screenplay thanks to the director's political heavy-handedness. Gary Sweet's character is not convincing or particularly well developed, as his simplistically evil nature makes him highly predictable and almost comedic. While I enjoyed the music on its own merits, I agree with another commenter that it leaves little room for the viewer to come to his own conclusions about the characters. On the other hand, there are some great moments, such as the Tracker's improvised trial of the Fanatic, which causes one question how capital punishment becomes perceived as legitimate. The Tracker's adoption of white traditions and religious rites causes us to view him differently than we would otherwise. The circumstances of the Fanatic's dependence upon the Tracker and the Tracker's dependence upon the mercy of the Fanatic create an intrigue that is again reminiscent of the Naked Spur. Aided by the beautiful scenery of the outback, the cinematography is very nice, and the editing is distinctive as the film maintains a slower pace with spacious musical and visual interludes that are sometimes kitschy but occasionally effective. Overall, this was I film that I thoroughly enjoyed, even if the screenplay wasn't as powerful as I had hoped.

Many movies choose topics so that they can't be attacked or questioned: racism, the Holocaust, genocide, pederasty, the heroes of 911, Hitler, etc. This is about one of them: extreme racism in Australia. Nevertheless, the movie sucks. The characters are one-dimensional (this is probably intentional - the characters are named for their traits). There's no character development at all. Gulpilil is great, as always. The rest are flat. Far and away the worst thing is the soundtrack. Remember when John Wayne tells the woman that he's a loner, gets on his horse and rides away while she cries and looks pained? Just then some music comes up. Some weak ballady thing "He rides alone; his heart of stone; he knows the path; the wayward wind; ..." whatever. It's an RCH away a lounge song. Tracker has music at this level throughout. It's not just intrusive or weird. It's completely out of phase with the movie. And it's so bad it's painful. Tracker much like a high-school film project about racism: you know you're not going to get an A if you defend it; you know it's bad; so you have characters with names such as Mr White; Mr Black; Mr Bigot; ... And your parents are really proud of you. See the brilliant "The Chant of Jimmie Blacksnmith" (1978) and don't waste a minute on this one.

I stumbled onto this movie during the Palm Springs International Film Festival. When I noticed folks lined up outside the theatre an hour before the movie, I thought I'd join them. What a surprise! The haunting closeups and aerial views of Australia's outback serve to intensify the interactions of the characters. The music can, and does, appear overpowering at times, but along with an ocasionally inserted "painting", helps dramatize aborigine culture, a key to the film's intent. If you're tired of the usual american formulaic movie, but aren't into the hassle of reading subtitles, this may be for you.

I watched this wonderful film last night on television after having, unfortunately, missed it during its house release several years ago. Even though it would have been far better to see the beautiful cinematography on the big screen I was still moved and highly impressed with this historically insightful look under the carpet of our history. It is an interesting coincidence that I watched The Proposition several days ago and was able to watch The Tracker last night-both films, although separated by roughly fifty years, still circle the same historical period in that they both deal with Australia's adolescence and it is this historical backdrop that binds these films together in my mind. If a film returns to my thoughts after I have watched it, regardless of the geographical setting or the chronological period, that film is successful by my standards and if you wakeup the next morning replaying scenes of the film then it certainly is a winner-that is exactly what happened this morning. De Heer's script and direction created a haunting movie. The subtlety of the nuances made for a deeply intellectual journey through the tracks of these different people embroiled in activities beyond their understanding. Is this the paradigm of human existence? De Heer is to be congratulated for writing a scrip dealing with historical topics generally bypassed by commercial film makers and then directing that film with such sensitivity and understanding. It is rare to see a film that paints such a critical view of the relationship of the Aboriginal people and the close-mindedness of the Anglo settlers during that first century of contact. The definitive film about this contact has yet to be made and I for one anxiously await its production. We know so little, even if we make a concerted effort to locate the sources, about this early period of racial interaction. In the history of the world has there been such a diametrically antagonistic confrontation between peoples? The accuracy of this contact drama seems to have been lost because of the very nature of the discontinuity between these peoples. De Heer attempted to redress this lack of information and due to the brilliance of his insights, as well as the brilliance of the cast, we the audience are the better for having watched their work.

Poor and lazy attempt at getting some aboriginal actors and history on to the cinema screens. Sadly (although there's plenty of funding for this sort of thing) though, it fails on many many levels. One wonders if the funding was just too easy to get. All the white actors are terrible, the attempt to create 'atmosphere' through use of silence and absence of dialogue is just boring, cinematography is ordinary, and uh it just seems like a lazy filmmakers idea of a quick buck and a bit of PC egotism. Much as I'd like to see some good oz films featuring aboriginals or stories about them, this isn't one. It's just embarrassingly bad and you'll find yourself fast-forwarding. zzzzzzzzzzz

I left this brilliant film being excited and proud to be an aspiring Australian film-maker. What a film experience. Surely this is one of the great Australian films, certainly of this current year and without doubt for a long time. I say this film made me feel proud but really, as I was sitting after the film enjoying the warm sunshine and the beauty of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour, I was quite ashamed and saddened to be an Australian. The film deals with a very dark and still repressed area of Australian history that goes to the very heart of what it means to be an Australian, what out heritage is and what our role is in relation to this heritage. Rather than give a synopsis (they are always so boring) of how the film deals with these issues, I would just simply implore everyone everywhere (not just Australians) to see this film. I really believe the film has importance and resonance for all people, apart from its issues and meaning I think the film is simply film-making of the highest calibre. Bold, creative, subtle at times as well as appropriately disturbing and unsettling when it needs to be. Rolf De Heer has surely made his best film, a film to make you stand up and take notice of his ability. Visually beautiful (what an amazing country we have) and the use of Aboriginal singer Archie Roach's haunting songs is inspired and integral to the film's impact. I have to make special mention of the actors. Basically the film is a four-hander with Grant Page, Gary Sweet, Damon Gameau and David Gulpill giving outstanding performances. Particularly Sweet, giving authority and complexity to a unlikeable role that Australians would be not used to seeing after his television appearances. Can I also reserve a particular rave for Damon Gameau who plays the role of the young follower. Gameau, just out of drama school, is a real find. The Australian press have not given him the praise that he deserves and acknowledged the exceptional way he manages to convincingly capture the complicated shifts in the arc of his character's journey. For me at the end of the film, Gulpill and Gameau together onscreen deliver the film's final moments with such sensitivity and beautiful chemistry that you can't help but be incredibly moved. Finally I want to say that above all, at the centre of the story, David Gulpill is just extraordinary (one interviewer described him as our biggest Aboriginal movie star, certainly his performance has to be the highlight of his long and significant career.)You feel everything this film has to say, every part of its journey in his performance. You feel the injustice, the horror, the abuse, the loss of culture and identity. Conclusively, you feel for real that being an Australian means acknowledging that our country, as we now know it, was founded on the invasion and near-obliteration of a pre-existing people and their culture.