'Sweet Country is set in 1929 in the outback of the Northern Territory. It is the story of a young boy called Philomac, who witnesses Sam, an Aboriginal stockman, kill station owner Harry Marsh in self defence. Sam and his pregnant wife Lizzie go on the run and a posse pursues them across the outback. The posse cannot catch Sam, as he is a clever man and an expert bushman. Eventually for the health of his pregnant wife, Sam gives himself up. A trial is held in town and when the truth comes out in the courtroom about Sam's actions, he is acquitted. Justice has been served. Philomac and Sam set off on their journey home, but soon after leaving town, a shot rings out and Justice is crushed…' (Publication summary)
'Despite its extremes, Mparntwe Alice Springs still maintains a grip'
'Warwick Thornton’s outback western, Sweet Country (2017) is a powerful depiction of the racial dynamic and tensions of the 1920’s. The plot follows the story of Sam Kelly, an Indigenous man, who shoots and kills a white man Harry March in self-defence. The themes of colonialism, law and power cultivate in the experiences of the Aboriginal and white characters alike. The stories of Aboriginal people from this era are still largely untold, and even a fictional representation of this history, such as Sweet Country, helps the histories of black Australia penetrate the mainstream.'
'A genre mostly associated with quintessentially American landscapes and cultural tropes, the western has developed its own fascinating tradition in Australia - most notably, since the turn of the twenty-first century. Brian McFarlane surveys a range of films from the last two decades, dealing with subjects such as bushrangers, abuse and colonial dispossession, and finds both echoes of US antecedents and new visions that blaze their own distinctive trails.'
Source: Abstract.
(Introduction)
'
Eight years after his astonishing Cannes prizewinning first feature, Samson and Delilah, Warwick Thornton’s majestic Sweet Country scored major awards in Venice and Toronto last year and is officially opening here next week — and it’s no coincidence that it opens in the week of Australia Day. This is a slice of Australian history that an indigenous director such as Thornton is best equipped to depict; only by confronting and examining the racism of a bygone period can we hope to understand why racism is still so prevalent in this “sweet country” of ours.' (Introduction)
'Warwick Thornton’s outback western, Sweet Country (2017) is a powerful depiction of the racial dynamic and tensions of the 1920’s. The plot follows the story of Sam Kelly, an Indigenous man, who shoots and kills a white man Harry March in self-defence. The themes of colonialism, law and power cultivate in the experiences of the Aboriginal and white characters alike. The stories of Aboriginal people from this era are still largely untold, and even a fictional representation of this history, such as Sweet Country, helps the histories of black Australia penetrate the mainstream.'
'Archetypes are challenged in Warwick Thornton’s latest film'
'The landscape around Alice Springs is making waves in this year's Venice International Film Festival. For the first time, an Australian Indigenous feature film has been selected for the world premiere of the official competition.'
