As may be reminiscent of the tradition of oral storytelling carried on by the aboriginal people of northern Australia, the story in 'Ten Canoes' is told casually and is shrouded within several layers. Our narrator (David Gulpilil) tells a story from the past, of a group of native people on an expedition to the swamp to make canoes and hunt goose eggs. During the hunt, an old man is also telling a tale - one that goes even further back - about a wife gone missing, mysterious strangers and, of course, great traditions. These stories unfold in an extremely informal way, with the narrator sometimes remarking on his telling of the story and laughing about how we are probably eager for him to get on with it.
I didn't find this approach as engaging or endearing as so many others have. The narration actually worked against my interest, keeping me at a distance from the story. I could sense an attempt to be folksy and whimsical, but the effort is so nonchalant that I never saw a magic to the people or the setting. As it was, sitting at home watching this film, things didn't seem to get going in earnest for at least a half hour. I'm not saying this film needed to adapt to a modern, quick-cut sensibility, but I would have changed the structure a bit to eliminate the three-layer-deep story and been more focused on how each sequence fits into the whole.
The film occasionally indicates the impatience of youth and their desire for action over substance, and this seems to be directed at the audience as well. I agree with this sentiment, but I also think that good storytelling needs to engage us, draw us in and help us identify with the characters. There are some attempts to help a modern audience draw parallels to to this ancient civilization. Evidently they too have a casual vocabulary of vulgarities to refer to body parts and excrement, just like us. They complain and lie and tease just like us. But these moments don't always feel so natural in context, some feel stuck in to tart up the film. It seems unfair to be enforcing modern sensibilities on such a genuine attempt to reflect the lives of these people, but since it is a contemporary film, what choice do I have?
The film seems to use, for the most part, non-actors, and occasionally this is also distracting. In some scenes, people are in groups and we don't always see the faces of those speaking. The main character of Ridjimiraril (Crusoe Kurrdal) is a notable exception, as we do get to see him alone, expressing emotions. I also had a minor quibble here with the DVD I screened. Palm Pictures has presented the subtitles in white on this film, but the first layer of the tale is shown in black and white, which makes the reading of some subtitles quite difficult.
So much of 'Ten Canoes' feels like an educational proposition. Not surprisingly, the DVD and film website offer a study guide. The traditional camera work and the reverent approach to the people seem part of a nature documentary rather than a narrative film. It's very easy to put something on display for us to admire or appreciate, but more difficult to engage an audience's emotions. Yes, 'Ten Canoes' is deserving of some attention for portraying a hard-working, honorable civilization of the past, but the appeal is a bit limited to those who aren't predisposed to want to see a devout, somewhat dry look at aboriginal people of Australia. For the rest of us to come along, we need to be wooed a bit. I'd rather have my emotions piqued than be promised a gold star for merely paying attention.