Australia

     There's no denying that Australia is an extraordinary country. Baz Luhrman's 2008 drama manages to encompass all the adventure, mystery and romance that has come to define the Australian spirit. Starring an all Australian cast, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Bryan Brown, David Wenham, David Gupilil, Jack Thompson and Brandon Walters. Amidst the adventure and romance, Australia deals with the horrendous racial prejudice toward the Aboriginals at the hands of the English colonialism. All Aboriginals were despised, abused and treated as subhuman. Anyone who sided with them or defended them would receive the same treatment and be branded an outcast. 

     Months before Hitler invades Poland, setting off WWII, Lady Sarah Ashley of England invades Australia; setting off a chain of events that will bring unexpected, but much needed change. Sarah's estranged husband owns a vast cattle ranch, Faraway Downs, but is unable to make a profit from it, due to the dry land. King Carney who runs the best of the cattle ranches in Northern Australia wants his hands on Faraway Downs and offers a good deal to Sarah in hopes that she can get her husband to sell. Sarah, against her better judgement, packs up and flies to Australia where her greeting is less than genteel.

    Sarah is placed in the care of a rugged, rule breaking stock-man--known only as The Drover--who has been charged by her husband to deliver her to Faraway Downs. During their three day trip to Faraway Downs, Drover and Sarah have ample time to get to know each other. A drover is essentially a cowboy who is commissioned to drive cattle and other stock over long distances. As he puts it 'No one hires me, no one fires me.' Sarah also notices Drover's obvious friendship and respect toward his Aboriginal partners; as opposed to the racists tendencies of the rest of the white occupants of Australia. 

    When they finally make it to Faraway Downs, Sarah is met with her dead husband who was supposedly killed by the notorious Aboriginal shaman, King George. Now with her husband dead, Sarah has no choice but to sell, but a chance meeting with an mysterious little boy changes Sarah's heart and mind and challenges her to fight for this run down, but possibly hopeful ranch.

     Nullah is the illegitimate child of Faraway Down's shady foreman, Neil Fletcher and a beautiful Aboriginal woman, Daisy, the daughter of King George. Both Nullah and his mother are abused by Neil and while Daisy tries to protect her son, there is a fear that he will be taken away from her and put into a church home with other biracial children. The idea of these homes is to drive out any Aboriginal heritage these children posses. Nullah refuses to be caught and imprisoned and his wild spirit will become the salvation of Faraway Downs.

    Sarah is informed by Nullah that Neil Fletcher has secretly been working for King Carney. During a cattle drive, Neil was taking the best cattle and driving them across the billabong onto Carney land. Neil killed Sarah's husband on the drive and the pinpointed the blame on King George to cover his tracks. Neil is also responsible for the drought on Faraway Downs, when Nullah reveals that he has sabotaged the the water reservoir. With Lord Ashley dead and the land close to dying, both Fletcher and Carney believe that they can finally get Faraway Downs. However they both severely underestimated Lady Sarah Ashley or Mrs. Boss as she becomes known as to her staff. 

     After Sarah confronts Neil on his dishonesty and then witnesses him beating his own son, she fires him and with him his entire cattle crew. Now alone with cattle that need to be driven to the city and sold, Sarah has no choice but to go to the only man left. Drover. Although reluctant that this could work, Drover, Sarah, Nullah and their small crew take the cattle stock and drive them through the treacherous desserts, where they're met with hostile forces on every side. 

     And that is only the beginning of the story....

     Throughout the cattle drive, this rag tag group become a family and when weathering the dangers of the Never-Never, winning out to King Carney himself, falling in love and creating a family, saving Faraway Downs, face being to torn apart by the law, and eventually WWII coming to their shores, Drover, Sarah, Nullah and even, King George are bound to the unbreakable strength of the Australian Outback.

     This is a really long movie, but every minute is worth the watch. Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman were fabulous together! I've never been a big Nicole Kidman fan, but she was perfect in her story progression from a snobby aristocrat to an independent business woman intent on making her mark, standing up the higher powers, protecting Nullah and the other Aboriginals, while also capturing Drover's heart. Hugh Jackman is in his element as the Drover. He plays the romanticized, rugged Australian cowboy whose own moral conscience make him an outsider to his own people. Drover doesn't desire to be a hero, but overtime he gravitates towards the position as he begins to love Sarah and Nullah, while finally confronting his painful past. 

    Beautifully filmed in Australia with a wonderful score and stunning costumes, Australia harkens back to the days of the sweeping epic films, such as Gone With the Wind, Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments. Australia may be considered a love letter to the cultures that have come to define an extraordinary land, but also a heartbreaking truth and asking of forgiveness towards a culture that was almost wiped out through prejudice and hate.