After learning that this film did not do well at the Australian cinemas because the population was not ready to see such a cruel depiction of their past, I grew curios to see it. I usually enjoy films that reveal untold stories and criticize their own society and past. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith was in indeed a sad and harsh representation of the white world and their treatment towards the Aborigines. However, used to the history of America's conquest, where Natives were brutally wiped out from their lands, the treatment of whites toward Australian Aborigines seemed more civilized. In fact, because it was more a psychological violence, it reminded me a lot of the issues in the United States regarding racism and discrimination against African Americans.
After professor Fred pointed out in class, I realized the many symbols and visuals that were used to separate and identify the white world from the aboriginal world. For example, many of the shots from the white world were framed; we could glimpse to their world through doors or windows. However, once we entered the aboriginal world, we are overflowed by landscapes and extreme close-ups of animals and insects. Such vastness represented the freedom granted by Aborigines.
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