rabbit proof fence (letter)
Dear Phillip Noyce,
My name is Anna Marie and is currently studying the topic Belonging. I was deeply moved by your film ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ as it has helped me understand the importance of Belonging. The two scenes which I thought stressed the importance of Belonging the most were when the girls arrived at the Moore River Institution and in ‘Lost’ during Molly and Daisy’s journey along the fence to Jigalong.
My first scene of choice, shows the girls arrival at the Moore River Institution. For me this scene explicitly explore the concept of belonging through the way it was filmed. In the beginning of the scene, you used a full shot to show the viewers that the girls have arrived in a new, unfamiliar place. When I saw Molly’s point of view point of view shot of a nun approaching them I could sense their vulnerability, confusion and discomfort. The eerie, ghostly music in the background along with the low key light also supports the concept of the lack of Belonging the girls were feeling at that time. As the girls got closer and closer to the dormitory the eerie music gets louder and louder, symbolising their growing anxiety. A heavy, brassy key is inserted into the key hole and with a loud, rusty bang the door is opened. Nonetheless the dormitory itself is a jail, those Aboriginal children are confined in the place and the authority are the only one with the power to let them out. Ironically, rather than a symbol of a way out, the key symbolise the children lack of power and lack of freedom as they are locked in the dorm every night. The lighting in the dormitory is dull and gloomy with every child covered in utter darkness. This emphasises the notion of hopelessness and depicts their incapacity to Belong.
At breakfast the next day, the viewer sees how dialogue also helps to highlight the lack of belonging that the girls felt. The nuns would only speak to them with imperative sentences such as “There will be no talking...” thus creating a gap in their
My name is Anna Marie and is currently studying the topic Belonging. I was deeply moved by your film ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ as it has helped me understand the importance of Belonging. The two scenes which I thought stressed the importance of Belonging the most were when the girls arrived at the Moore River Institution and in ‘Lost’ during Molly and Daisy’s journey along the fence to Jigalong.
My first scene of choice, shows the girls arrival at the Moore River Institution. For me this scene explicitly explore the concept of belonging through the way it was filmed. In the beginning of the scene, you used a full shot to show the viewers that the girls have arrived in a new, unfamiliar place. When I saw Molly’s point of view point of view shot of a nun approaching them I could sense their vulnerability, confusion and discomfort. The eerie, ghostly music in the background along with the low key light also supports the concept of the lack of Belonging the girls were feeling at that time. As the girls got closer and closer to the dormitory the eerie music gets louder and louder, symbolising their growing anxiety. A heavy, brassy key is inserted into the key hole and with a loud, rusty bang the door is opened. Nonetheless the dormitory itself is a jail, those Aboriginal children are confined in the place and the authority are the only one with the power to let them out. Ironically, rather than a symbol of a way out, the key symbolise the children lack of power and lack of freedom as they are locked in the dorm every night. The lighting in the dormitory is dull and gloomy with every child covered in utter darkness. This emphasises the notion of hopelessness and depicts their incapacity to Belong.
At breakfast the next day, the viewer sees how dialogue also helps to highlight the lack of belonging that the girls felt. The nuns would only speak to them with imperative sentences such as “There will be no talking...” thus creating a gap in their