Ten Canoes

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Ten Canoes

2007,

1h 31m,

Adventure/

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

98%

64 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

64 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Presenting a tale within a tale, this Australian film follows Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil), a young Aboriginal warrior, as he wanders the wilderness hunting for eggs. Dayindi hears a story told by his brother Minygululu (Peter Minygululu), which echoes his own situation. A man who lusts after his brother's wife, the character in the tale kills a member of another tribe and faces dire consequences, with the story's ending reverberating in Dayindi's own life.

Critics Consensus

Ten Canoes combines adventure, comedy, and anthropology to explore an Aborigine folk tale both fallibly human and legendary. Helmer Rolf de Heer depicts a barely represented oral tradition with a clean style.

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Luke Buckmaster

Guardian

Jan 2, 2016

Both ethnographic document and high-spirited flight of whimsy: a curious mixture of entertainment and anthropology.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Oct 27, 2007

Sometimes all it takes to bridge the chasm of eons is a little humor.

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Josh Rosenblatt

Austin Chronicle

Aug 4, 2007

3/5

A new and different kind of cinematic mythmaking.

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Nov 17, 2020

4.5/5

The raw power of the story - rife with myth, magic and misadventure - blends brilliantly with an earthy, universally appealing sense of humour.

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Keeva Stratton

Rescu (Australia)

Sep 15, 2017

A beautifully told story, which captures indigenous Australia with warmth and humour.

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Mike Scott

Times-Picayune

Jul 24, 2009

3/4

A unique and entertaining blend of anthropology and cinema.

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Rolf de Heer

Director

Peter Djigirr

Director

David Gulpilil

Narrator

Jamie Gulpilil

Actor

Peter Minygululu

Actor

Crusoe Kurddal

Actor

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Synopsis

Presenting a tale within a tale, this Australian film follows Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil), a young Aboriginal warrior, as he wanders the wilderness hunting for eggs. Dayindi hears a story told by his brother Minygululu (Peter Minygululu), which echoes his own situation. A man who lusts after his brother's wife, the character in the tale kills a member of another tribe and faces dire consequences, with the story's ending reverberating in Dayindi's own life.

Director: Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr
Producer: Rolf de Heer, Julie Ryan
Screenwriter: Rolf de Heer
Distributor: Palm Pictures
Production Co: Fandango, Vertigo Productions Pty. Ltd.
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 25, 2007, Limited
Release Date (DVD): Sep 25, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA): $278.0K
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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