Rabbit-Proof Fence

In 1930s Australia, three half-caste Aborigine girls are taken from their home to a government school to be “cleansed” of their native culture; they escape and follow a 1,500-mile fence to find their way home. Based on a book by Doris Pilkington Garamara (daughter of one of the girls), written by Christine Olsen and directed with epic sweep by Phillip Noyce, this amazing true story is riveting from beginning to end. The nature of the story (it seems cheap to call it an “adventure”), the incredible courage and endurance of the girls, and the sorry injustice that made their flight necessary combine to make this a unique and powerful film. Performances are excellent—especially from Kenneth Branagh as the patronizing bureaucrat who pursues the girls and from young Everlyn Sampi as the oldest of the three.