Ten Canoes

The legendary David Gulpilil narrates this unique mix of docudrama and mythmaking, telling the film’s story-within-a-story with great charisma and humour. Gulpilil was also the driving force behind the production, inviting de Heer to the far north to collaborate with Yolngu creatives and actors. Gulpilil’s son Jamie stars in a dual role: as Dayindi, a young man learning how to make bark canoes and hunt geese in the wetlands; and as Yeeralparil, the subject of an old parable of jealousy and its consequences. Wonderful performances bring out the playfulness – rarely have myths been this funny – while the hypnotic cinematography, alternating between striking black-and-white and lush colour, creates a sense of oral history coming to life.