Directed by Catriona McKenzie. Starring David Gulpilil, Cameron Wallaby and Joseph Pedley.
From Australia’s growing indigenous film industry comes Catriona McKenzie’s feature film debut Satellite Boy. A small film with two unknown leads, Satellite Boy leans less towards the recent bold exuberances of The Sapphires and Bran Nu Dae, and more towards the emotional core of classics such as Samson and Delilah. However, despite its potential, the film doesn’t quite reach the emotional highs or strength of character needed to truly push it to the realm of praise.
The film follows young Pete (played by new-comer Cameron Wallaby) and his journey to save the abandoned drive-in cinema he lives at with his grandfather, Jagamarra (seasoned actor, David Gulpilil). Travelling through the outback with best friend Kalmain (also a new-comer, Joseph Pedly) to the mining company responsible for the take over, Pete learns to embrace the indigenous wisdom passed on from his grandfather in order to survive. A back-to-nature film, Pete’s relationship with his grandfather is emblematic of the spiritual connection to the land that is either lost or rediscovered in modern indigenous culture.
As far as performances go, Wallaby and Pedly deliver decent portrayals, although nothing compared to the experience of Gulpilil. At times they are convincing, and at others their lines come across robotic. Their characters are also vainly drawn, lacking much complexity or depth. Whether this is the script or the directing, it is hard to tell. McKenzie explained that her approach was very loose and would often talk scenes out with actors before and during takes. As inexperienced actors that carry virtually the entire film, Wallaby and Pedly have a great challenge – one I believe they didn’t quite rise to.
When it comes to scenery, there is no doubt that Satellite Boy delivers a beautifully captured part of Western Australia’s Bungle Bungles. Experienced cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson’s work is clear in the dusty horizons, layered sandstone domes and twinkling night skies. However, spectacle alone cannot capture the hearts of viewers. For film students, it may be an interesting exploration of technical and visual techniques. Unfortunately, as is arguably the fault of many Australian films, there is an alienation of the casual viewer. Although only 90 minutes long, I would hardly recommend this to a friend unless they were expressly interested in Australian, Indigenous or technical filmmaking. There is a sense of dragging through the beauty, rather than basking in it, and a lack of strong characters to pull you through it.
Although I appreciated the bond between young and old generations of indigenous culture, I just couldn’t get invested in their journey. It is great to see new faces on Australian screens and I am intrigued to see McKenzie’s future work, but Satellite Boy is not quite one for the ages.
