AustLit

In 1967, an Aboriginal mother decides to send her ten-year-old son away to get a white man's education. Being separated from his familiar surroundings from the north-western Australia coastal town of Broome and his family and new girlfriend weigh upon him in this quietly observant drama.

'Broome, Western Australia, 1982: Cass recalls the old days of the pearling industry when there would be 40 or more boats operating from Broome. Now there are only five or six...

'Today, many tourists come to Broome but “are not told the truth.” People like Cass were told by white people not to say bad things about the town.

'Cass visits the local cemetery and sees the stones marking the graves of a lot of his old friends. Only a few old-timers remain. They all worked in the pearling industry despite the hard conditions and the dangers of the ‘bends”, and problems with whales and other dangerous fish.' (Source: Ronin Films website)

'This remarkable film documents the making of a spear-thrower or woomera by two Pintupi men from the Western Desert cultural group who live in the Lake McDonald area in the central west of the Northern Territory.'

'The two men use stone tools, demonstrating techniques which are becoming rare in this modern day. Once a suitable mulga tree has been selected, sharp stones are used to cut an appropriate long sliver from a trunk and to shape it. An adze for further shaping is made with resin from spinifex grass to fasten a sharp stone to a wooden handle. Oil or grease is used to preserve the wood and to prevent splitting. The whole process of making the woomera takes around 12 hours.'

'The film also underlines the importance to the Puntupi of the spear-thrower and its many uses, including its practical value in hunting fast-moving game.' (Source: Ronin Films website)