by MATTHEW HAYS

Filmmaker Philip Noyce’s nostrils flare as he discusses what he refers to as “the tyranny of the system.” Sitting in the hot sun during the premiere of his latest, Rabbit-Proof Fence, he explains that he’d had quite enough of that tyranny.

He could well be discussing the true tale at the heart of this poignant film, the unveiling of one of Australia’s darker sides. In Rabbit-Proof Fence, three young aboriginal girls escape from a correctional institute (where natives are reprogrammed to become just like white Australians) and walk hundreds of miles to return to their home.

But Noyce isn’t talking about Australia’s historical mistreatment of the aborigines. He’s explaining why he walked away from the well-paying but soul-devouring Hollywood studio system. Noyce would know whereof he speaks, having sat in the director’s chair for a string of studio box-office successes, from Patriot Games to The Bone Collector (the latter shot here in Montreal).

Escaping the factory

“Really, it was like working in a factory,” he says of those projects. “You are there to make other people’s projects. It’s the stars, ultimately, who you’re working for. Yes, those films pay. But you get sick of eating candy, even. I’d had enough of that.”

If Noyce was sick of it, he’s now getting some comeuppance on the studio system he abandoned. He’s since helmed two projects, Rabbit-Proof Fence and The Quiet American, both of which are receiving nothing short of raves as they open, piecemeal, across North America. (The latter is stirring shoo-in Oscar buzz for its star, Michael Caine.)

As Noyce tells it, he decided, some two years ago, to return to his Aussie roots, tell much more personal stories he felt a greater stake in and to create “his own star system.” He certainly managed to cull beautiful performances in Fence; the three leads are the until-now unknown team of Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury and Laura Monaghan, who portray the sisters and cousin forced by the wildly misguided Aussie authorities to conform—or else. Sitting by Noyce’s side is Sampi, whose own mother, an aborigine, was placed in an institute when she was four, only to be released at 14. Knowing full well that some star power is needed to secure backing, Noyce also cast Kenneth Branagh as the assimilationist zealot, a man who believes the only way to proceed is through a forced conformity. It’s to Branagh’s credit that he manages to play the man as entirely misguided but not simply as an evil caricature. “Kenneth responded immediately to the script,” recalls Noyce. “He was fascinated by the contradictions of a man who felt he was doing the right thing but was causing so much devastation.”

Illuminating the legacy

Beyond the accolades, Noyce says Fence is helping to draw attention to the ongoing legacy of Australian government policies towards its native people. And the parallels with Canada’s treatment of its own aboriginal people is not lost on Noyce. He says part of the film’s appeal is anchored by its universalism; audiences tend to reach out to children, and the children in this film were clearly victimized cruelly. “The film invites people to experience the emotions of the children on screen. The children seem powerless. What’s amazing is the fact that they weren’t. They showed profound resourcefulness and resilience in the face of tremendous obstacles.”

Noyce remains realistic, however, when we discuss what one film can do. “In ’97, the Labour government in Australia released a report on the state of aboriginal life in the country. The report stated that much of what had been done to them was tantamount to genocide. The suggestion was immediately set upon by conservatives who argued it was all exaggerated. This is a pretty typical, if disappointing, response.

“What’s really been great is just the sheer pride aborigines get from watching the film. The fact that this true story is being told, in a very popular form, that of film, that many, many people of all different backgrounds are going to see, I think that’s been very empowering for them.”

Not too long into the conversation, though, and we’re back where we started: dissing the Hollywood grind. “Can you imagine anyone making a film like this in Hollywood?” Noyce asks, rhetorically. “That star system is really a tyranny. The whole place is set up for about 25 people. They get rich even if the movies bankrupt the studios.

“Sure, I got paid a lot money there. The only price, I guess, is your soul.” :

Rabbit-Proof Fence opens Friday, Dec. 13

>> Movie Listings