If putting together a list of the best Australian movies this century, you must include Samson & Delilah (2009).  It marked the “arrival” of cinematographer-turned-director Warwick Thornton and won 7 Australian Film Institute Awards including best picture.  It also won the prestigious Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, a prize which celebrates first-time filmmakers, and best picture at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.  His next feature, Sweet Country (2017), received similar praise and solidified his reputation as one of this country’s best storytellers.

Wolfram is Thornton’s latest outing and serves as a sequel to Sweet Country.  The original was set in the 1920s and centred on the fallout in a remote Australian community when an Aboriginal man, with good reason, kills a white fella.  For this instalment, we slip several years forward and tackle a different narrative.  Inspired by real-life happenings, it looks at the slavery of indigenous children who were forcibly taken from their families and made to work on farms and in mines.

The 2017 release was headlined by Sam Neill, Bryan Brown and Matt Day but with the change in theme has come a change in focus.  Deborah Mailman (Radiance, Bran Nue Dae) is the most recognisable cast member in Wolfram and she plays Pansy, an Aboriginal mother desperately searching for her missing children.  She’s largely a supporting player though.  The film is heavily centred on Joe Bird (Shand), a depraved miner who arrives in town seeking wealth and power.  He’s a cruel, heartless, disgusting villain with actor Erroll Shand (Pike River) deserving praise for creating such a loathsome character.  Actions have consequences and audiences will want to see him get what he deserves!

Wolfram provides an eye-opening reminder of Australia’s darker histories but beyond that, it’s an engaging drama.  With the dry, desolate outback serving as the backdrop, we follow an assortment of characters and their power games.  Some are openly vocal about their desires, but others take a quieter, subtler approach in trying to get the upper hand.  There’s also the emotive tale of a young Aboriginal boy looking for his kidnapped brother.

Warwick Thornton delivers once again!