Charlie's Country

Rolf de Heer's 2013 Australian film was written with David Gulpilil and rests largely on his own experience. Charlie is an older man living in a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory. Government regulations imposed on the region have closed in on daily life: carrying a weapon is forbidden, hunting requires permission, alcohol is controlled and the police are busy enforcing rules that make little sense. Charlie eventually gives it all up and withdraws into the bush to try living as his ancestors did; his body cannot take it. The third part of the film plays out in the city, in hospital and in prison. The account is angry but does not preach; Charlie's humour and pride stand in every scene. Gulpilil was named best actor in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Who it's for: viewers who like Indigenous Australian cinema and character-led drama. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a hopeful resolution; the film shows a system that does not change.