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Part of the 2023 digital Sydney Festival , this is Rachel Perkin’s opera , drawing on the 1930s true story of Indigenous tracker Alec Riley. ( His grandson , Michael Riley directed the 1997 film Black Tracker, which inspired this work).
Every parent’s nightmare – one night in the Australian outback in the 1930s, young Emily (Memphis Kelly) clambers out of her bedroom window, drawn by the full moon. When her parents check on their sleeping child, she has vanished.
Her mother Rose (Kaarin Fairfax) and father Jim (Paul Kelly), turn to the local police, and the Sergeant (Chris Haywood) suggests that Allman (David Field) and their very best Indigenous tracker Albert (Kelton Pell), set out to find her. Jim however hotly disagrees and erupts – insisting no blackfella is to set foot on my land.
The racism and class issues of the era are depicted .The film is impressively acted, and there is glorious photography as caught by Kim Batterham – the many varied textures of the landscape and the dazzling full moon as examples. The score by Kev Carmody and Mairead Hannan includes songs written by Paul Kelly.
Contrast and discrimination is shown between the white people’s government decreed ownership (Jim ) and the Indigenous interrelationship with Country ( Albert) ,effectively shown in the song ‘This Land is Mine’. The all white male search party struggle and create a search of the plains, while Albert says they’re destroying Country and hunting in the wrong places.
Some weeks later, with Emily still missing, Rose, drained and despondent, secretly defies Jim and goes to find Albert. They eventually do sadly find Emily. Jim can’t cope with the news and blames himself, disappearing into the night and ending his life with a gun. Albert and Rose mourn Rose’s losses which leave her solitary and dejected, struggling to make a living on the harsh land with only heartfelt memories left to comfort her.
The film dovetails neatly with Sydney Festival’s multidisciplinary dance work, Tracker, inspired by the very same person.
A haunting, compelling film .
Running time – just under an hour
https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/digital/one-night-the-moon