Rabbit-Proof Fence

2002

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

TOMATOMETER

87%
87%

Critic Consensus: Visually beautiful and well-acted, Rabbit-Proof Fence tells a compelling true-life story.

AUDIENCE SCORE

86%

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Movie Info

In Western Australia, 1931, the small depot of Jigalong sits on the edge of the Gibson Desert. Running through Jigalong and out into the desert is a rabbit-proof fence that bisects Australia from north to south. The fence was built to keep rabbits on one side and pasture on the other. This remote country is home to three spirited Aboriginal girls, Molly, her sister Daisy, and their cousin Gracie. The girls' white fathers are fence workers who have moved on. Now their only contact with white Australia is the weekly ration day at Jigalong Depot. In Perth, AO Neville, the area's Chief Protector of Aborigines, receives word that the three girls are running wild. He believes the Aboriginal race is dying out and believes that the answer to the "colored problem" is to breed out the Aboriginal race. To achieve this he has ruled that children of mixed marriages cannot marry full-blooded Aborigines. Settlements are set up across the state and "half-caste" children are removed from their families and prepared for their "new life in white society" as domestic servants and laborers. Neville orders the removal of Molly, Gracie, and Daisy and they are relocated 1,200 miles from home to a grim settlement. The harsh conditions they must live under shock Molly, and she convinces Daisy and Gracie to run away with her. With Moodoo, a cruel and master tracker on their tails, they begin a grueling three-month journey home, following the rabbit-proof fence that will guide them back to their mother and their rightful home.

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Cast

Everlyn Sampi
as Molly
Tianna Sansbury
as Daisy
Laura Monaghan
as Gracie
Kenneth Branagh
as A.O. Neville
David Gulpilil
as Moodoo
Ningali Lawford
as Molly's Mother
Myarn Lawford
as Molly's Grandmother
Deborah Mailman
as Mavis
Jason Clarke
as Constable Riggs
Garry McDonald
as Neal
Lorna Leslie
as Miss Thomas
Natasha Wanganeen
as Dormitory Boss
Roy Billing
as Police Inspector
Andrew S. Gilbert
as Depot Manager
Ken Radley
as Fence Worker
Celine O'Leary
as Miss Jessop
Kate Cullen Roberts
as Matron
Tracy Monaghan
as Moodoo's Daughter
Tamara Flanagan
as Escaped Girl, Olive
David Ngoombujarra
as Kangaroo Hunter
Anthony Hayes
as Fence Builder
Sheryl Carter
as Gracie's Mother
Heath Bergersen
as Wiluna Liar
Trevor Jamieson
as Moore River Policeman
Edwina Bishop
as First Farm Mother
Kerilee Meuris
as Farm Daughter
Andrew Martin
as Car Driving Policeman
Don Barker
as Mr. Evans
Carmel Johnson
as Mrs. Evans
David Buchanan
as Railway Policeman
Richard Carter
as Farmhouse Policeman
Fiona Gregory
as Jigalong Mother
Reggie Wanganeen
as Tommy Grant
Glenys Sampi
as Woman in Queue
Kizzy Flanagan
as First Dormitory Girl
Antonia Sampi
as Second Dormitory Girl
Maurice Kelly
as Aboriginal Hunter
Elsie Thomas
as Singing Woman at Jigalong
Rosie Goodji
as Singing Woman at Jigalong
Jewess James
as Singing Woman at Jigalong
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Critic Reviews for Rabbit-Proof Fence

All Critics (142) | Top Critics (30)

[Director Phillip] Noyce shows their awful, eventually uplifting journey without flinching, and the arid Australian wilderness is a co-star of the film.

Feb 8, 2008 | Full Review…
Denver Post
Top Critic

Noyce trusts the power of the story to move us. He knows that, like the girls themselves, we'll find our way along Rabbit-Proof Fence.

Jan 23, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Orlando Sentinel
Top Critic

It certainly has its moving moments.

Jan 6, 2003
Washington Post
Top Critic

Searing dramatization of a story of remarkable courage, stamina and spirit.

Dec 27, 2002
Washington Post
Top Critic

Many movies claim to illuminate the human spirit, but Rabbit-Proof Fence actually delivers.

Dec 27, 2002 | Rating: 4/5
Arizona Republic
Top Critic

Essentially, Noyce just wants to tell a good story, which he does.

Dec 26, 2002 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Boston Globe
Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (142)

Audience Reviews for Rabbit-Proof Fence

½

Kenneth Branagh is a compelling villain, and some of the cinematography is great but there simply isn't enough plot to carry this true-story drama to the finish line with full attention in tow.

Sam Barnett
Sam Barnett

Super Reviewer

Rabbit-Proof Fence is visually stunning, well-acted film telling of the racism by the British against the Aboriginal peoples of Australia in the 1930's. It's an emotional, heart-breaking jouney enhanced by a haunting and beautiful score by Peter Gabriel.

Raymond Wieser
Raymond Wieser

Super Reviewer

½

A powerful true story revealing a time in Australian history known as "The Stolen Nation". A gutsy focus on one family and their courage to evade their government forced destinies. Great perforrmances all around.

Lady D'arbanville
Lady D'arbanville

Super Reviewer

Really good plot.

erika bruhns
erika bruhns

Super Reviewer

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