“One Mind, One Heart” A good story, told well
- Antony Cirocco
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Film Title: “One Mind, One Heart”
Dir: Larissa Behrendt AO
Release Date: Oct 2024
Review by Antony Cirocco
“One Mind, One Heart” is a feature-length documentary film made for theatrical release but currently you can see it on SBS on Demand. It received funding from Screen Australia and the Shark Island development fund. It screened first at the Adelaide Film Festival.
It’s a classic expository documentary, however it features interviews with First Nations People, Academic and Experts. The calibre of the intellectuals here, multiple Professors among them, gives this story a gravity and credibility that is enriching and rewarding as a viewing and more importantly a listening experience.
The film is a retelling of the experience of the Yolngu people and their efforts to have their land recognised. They did this by reaching out to senior politicians with the Yirrkala Petitions that were presented to the Australian Parliament in 1963.
This film brings to the fore the struggle for first nations people to be recognised as the original owners of the land and their right to entitlement. For a mainstream non-indigenous audience who has maybe heard about “Land Rights” but never really understood the significance of the term, this film will break down for you a chronological breakdown of the land right struggle through the lens of the Yolngu people of the Yirrkala mission. Yirrkala is about 1000 km's east of Darwin as the crow flies.
This film breaks down the significance of the land rights struggle in Australia, how evidence was gathered, how petitions were lodged and who were the key players in the struggle for recognition.
Behrendt who has an Order of Australia Medal for her "distinguished service to Indigenous education and research, the law and the visual and performing arts" has meticulously pieced together fragments of history and key interviews to lay out a story that features, truth, the law, culture and the preservation of history. This collation of facts, history, stories, and evidence is new in format but many of the events of this story are not. It’s not contemporary cutting-edge storytelling. It’s a meditation on the experience of First Nations people as they struggled to tell their story and on that level….it’s really good.
The quality of the interviews are great, with enthusiastic experts and academics willing to share their knowledge to inform and educate. Adding a touch of mystery and ‘road movie’ to this film is the pursuit of the remaining bark petitions. In terms of narrative structure it adds intrigue and excitement in the pursuit of these parchments that became spread out across the country.
Behrendt has incredible access to first nations communities, evidence that a first nations lead approach to authorship of screen content is the best way to maximise the voice of the people.
The cinematography reflects the capacity of the budget and pushes the boundaries of what is possible, considering the challenge of the amount of travel and in-situ location interviews can provide.
The film is beautifully edited with interviews, archival and inserts of people connected to the community. The pacing is moderate, contemplative and conversational as a film with such serious content should be.
A documentary made for and by the First Nations leadership team, and these kinds of documentaries represent the most ethical screen content to learn about the life and struggles of first nations people, as it should be.
This story is excellent in that it cuts through the noise and brings the audience an accurate retelling of events, backed by experts and academics and breaking down the laws that defined the land rights struggle.
"One Mind, One Heart" a must-see for all Australians and First Nations Communities around the world. It is an accurate and honest portrayal of people impacted by Mining and Politics and other matters that sought to denigrate and displace good people.
This film will be remembered because of its blend of interviews, experts sharing their research and understanding, music, art, and archival footage.
For me, this is a great film. I looked, I listened and I left this film feeling informed and educated and yes …entertained, in the sense that I enjoyed the experience and felt better having experienced it.
3 out of 5 stars
Review by Antony Cirocco
Check out the film trailer on youtube here -
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