Creative Thinking Summer School 2002

Trinity Summer School - 2002 Intake

Cultural Narratives

Trinity College
University of Melbourne
Creative Thinking Summer School 2002
Cultural Narratives

Students have been reading a chapter from Sally Morgan's My Place.

The following is an extract from the story.
…it was my art teacher at school … He held up one of my drawings in front of the class one day and pointed out everything wrong with it. There was no perspective, I was the only one with no horizon line. My people were flat and floating. You had to turn it on the side to see what half of the picture was about. On and on he went. By the end of the ten minutes, the whole class was laughing and I felt very small.

Students were asked to imagine an alternative description to the one that happens after Sally's embarrassing moment in front of the class. They show the other responses possible to Aboriginal work instead of Sally's traumatic experience. Students often use the same as Sally, imagining what it would be like to be her in a positive light.

"Sally's picture's just amazing. Even though it doesn't look anything like the rest of your drawings, it is still very unique. The people are flat, yes, but there are plenty of drawings like there that would cost a fortune. I bet this picture is telling us a story. A story about Sally's background and we must all respect that. I, for one, admire; Sally's art and see it as a new style in drawing. Keep up the good work, Sally Your mother's going to be so proud of you."
by Jane

Aboriginal paintings are significantly different from other paintings. They are usually on what is important to us, everything to do with the natural environment-the land, wild animals, natural resources...They enable the people of today to see the natural surroundings in a different view and perspective. Although Aboriginal paintings may appear somewhat simple, messy and childish, they usually have a deeper profound meaning beneath. They do not depict things so much as we see them but more of what they mean to us. The way Aboriginal paintings are done make us see how the natural surroundings are a big part of our lives and add colour to the natural environment. Water is not just water, it has colour and life within. We can also relate to how the objects in Aboriginal paintings connect to our lives.
by Kgia Loong

Sally's teacher was narrow-minded to criticize her paintings because as an art teacher, he is expected to be open-minded and not to criticize but to encourage. His harsh remarks not only discouraged Sally, but also killed her ambitions. Aboriginal paintings are beautifully crafted pictures telling stories of the natural world, the world in which the Aboriginals live in. They paint simple yet detailed pictures, using earthen colours which lend a natural look.
-Sazzi-

It is a very special piece of artwork. Unlike the normal ones, this drawing is very abstract. Everyone can have own perspective on it. Have closer look on this work, it can be discovered that there are no horizontal lines in the drawing. The colours of the drawing are earthly which red and brown colours are used. This is special that people in picture is flat and floating. In short, this is a very extraordinary piece of Aboriginal artwork.
by Yee Chee

Sally's art is full of aboriginal influence. Though nowhere near as impressive as European landscape art, sally's artwork offers a unique form. Symbolic shapes fill the canvas. Reds, browns and oranges capture a rich heritage found within the aboriginal people's history. Sally's artwork is also highly influenced by the environment in which Sally lives. This is represented with shapes and patterns based on various species of plants and animals. Not only are all these features captured abstractly, they are also able to reflect Sally' state of mind through the usage of colours and shapes.
by Ji Zhen

Only Mum and Aunty Judy discouraged me, my Art teacher proved my choice and decision right. He held up one of my best drawings in front of the class one day and pointed out all the little details. He praised my humans in it. He said it is creative to be able to produce a drawing without a horizon line and my people were abstract and different from other drawings. He said it makes someone think and figure out what the picture is about. By the end of ten minutes, the whole class was green with envy for the teacher seldom praises people. I was up on cloud nine at that time. I always believed that drawing was my only talent, now I know I made the choice. He encouraged me to keep up the good work and I am determined to go on despite Mum's discouragement.
Caroline

Aboriginal art is very natural and creative. It was started by Aboriginals Australians at least 40,000 years ago, they used symbols to represent objects. This is very imaginative. Many colours are used. The aboriginals made paint by mixing water and tree sap and soil to create the colours. Their paintings consist mostly of dots and curvy lines.

The artist has obviously put a lot of time and effort into the painting. The earthy colours blend well together. Instead of looking at things from the front, we now look at things from the top view. this new
prespective is a very refreshing change. It is something out of the blue.
Kelly

Thank God for my art teacher at school who supported my art. He held up my drawings in class one day and pointed out all the good points that my paintings had. He said that my painting was unique in the respect that its people were flat and floating. In this aspect he said that this was unusual and unique. I seriously doubted he would say that had he known that my type of painting was Aboriginal. Still he also said that the various lines and swabs of colour were unique too and had a subtle originality to it. By the end of the session the whole class was clapping in awe and praising my work. I was really inspired by this and this has reinforced my belief in my talent.
Chan Zhungyi

"Sally has always been the class's artist. This time it is no exception. Just look at her artwork, it has a different perspective, not like the boring and monotonic pieces of work you all have handed in. Furthermore, although her artwork has no horizon, her picture is drawn in a way that is abstract and creative. It can be seen that a lot of time and effort has been put into it and she deserves an A." Sally's art teacher just couldn't stop commenting on the good parts of her artwork.
Sally was overjoyed. The whole day she was filled with happiness and was jumping around the house telling her mother and Nan what her Art teacher thought of her artwork. Nan was proud of her but her mother on the other hand was grouchy.
SEOW Mingshu

At least it was only Mum and Aunty Judy, my Art teacher believes in my work. Just the other day, he held up my work and praised me in front of the whole class. All the other drawings were so typical and mine was different. He said my drawing has personality and substance. My feelings were showed in it with the skill of a famous artist. On and on he went. By the end of the class, everyone envied me. Now I know that I have true talent and will be able to succeed one day.
Yat Sau

This is one magnificent piece of artwork! Yes, not only is it creative but also different in a special kind of way. Sally did a wonderful job of illustrating something interesting in a very simple form, especially the portrait of the people here. Speaking of simplicity in an artistic form, the colouring of this drawing is very eye-catching. Well done Sally! Keep up the good job."
Kelvin

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Trinity College
University of Melbourne
Creative Thinking Summer School 2002
Cultural Narratives

Cultural Narratives, while involving the use of reading stories, can also include other sorts of narratives that entail watching stories. As well as reading Sally Morgan's autobiography, students watched a short film called Wind. Many students wrote film reviews that indicated a strong identification with Chas, the main character.

FILM REVIEW
The film, Wind, is directed by the Australian Director, Ivan Sen. This story is situated in two different terrains: the mountains and the forest where two people, "Boss" who is a trooper and his slave, Chas travel in search of something. Wind consists of little conversation and much more action in it.
The film starts with "Boss" and Chas travelling through the forests in search of something. Soon, they reach to the top of the hill and "Boss" goes away for a while to scout the area while Chas and his horse rest by a tree, but when Chas wakes up, he soon finds his horse missing. Chas goes searching for the horse and discovers a little hut that stands in the open. He goes in and sees "Boss" lying on the ground catching his breath. Seeing that "boss" is warm and safe in the hut, Chas goes out and looks for his horse. So, he walks and walks until he hears a "Bang!". Chas freezes and he quickly runs back to the hut and finds "Boss" on the ground lying dehydrated. Knowing that "Boss" is dead, Chas feels really frustrated and has the expression on his face looking like he wants to take revenge. Chas turns around and sees an Aboriginal man who has been injured by a gunshot from "Boss". Feeling angry, Chas pulls him out and almost kills him but he doesn't have a heart to kill him, so Chas let him go. The Aboriginal man soon dies and Chas is left alone with his horse.
Chas and "Boss" are two different sorts of people. Chas is a sensible and generous, feeding the horse and taking care of "Boss" when he was sick. Whereas "Boss" is a selfish person when he told Chas not to ever feed the horse again. Chas is also a mix-blooded boy who is both black and white, while "Boss" is a white person.
The story shows what will happen when there is a mix of cultures in an aboriginal family. From my knowledge, a person like Chas will be pulled from his aboriginal family into a white environment. This has created problems for Chas as in his case he has been treated like a slave maybe due to Boss's and Australia's racism.
Leong and Kairen

FILM REVIEW
The movie "Wind" is an Australian film directed by Ivan Sen. The movie circles around two main characters who happens to be a white man called "Boss" and an Aboriginal man called Chas.
The basis of performance mainly relies on action instead of dialogue. The plot revolves around "Boss" and Chas going through a jungle onto a highland for shelter. Chas is playing as a form of a slave to "Boss". I think the plot of the story is deliberately supposed to outline the differences between two people of different colour.
"Boss" seems to be a trooper followed by Chas who seems to be a slave to him although he has a trooper cap. Chas is from a "mixed" background while "Boss" is a white old man who is pretty frail and weak. There is also another character in the movie who brings up thoughts and wonders, which is the Aboriginal elder who is quite round and big. Chas seems pretty satisfied with his role in this story. The way Boss" treats him is also quite humane though they are of different colour.
What made the movie quite mysterious is how "Boss" dies. It adds quite a wicked twist to the story. It made me wonder deeply how "Boss" died and the quite humane treatment towards Chas. In my opinion, it reflects on our modern world where people are treated more evenly regardless of their colour.
- Kelvin

FILM REVIEW
Ivan Sen, an Australian Director, creates a short film entitled "Wind". This story consists of three characters, the 'boss', the Aboriginal Elder and Chas. This is created to give a general idea about the similarities and differences of the characters.
The "Boss" is a trooper and together with Chas they track through a forest to reach highlands where they meet Aboriginal Elder. Chas is in charge of the horse and very in tune with nature and the horse but "Boss" has no instincts and depends on Chas to lead the way and take care of the horse. When they reach the highlands, "Boss" takes off leaving Chas with the horse. Chas secretly feeds the horse and takes a rest in the shade. Unnoticed, the Aboriginal Elder steals the horse while the "boss" lays sick in a shed. When Chas finds Boss, he takes care of him and at this moment, it is revealed that Chas is part of the 'Stolen Generation'. "Boss" shows his love and appreciation for Chas by giving him his hat. The Aboriginal Elder finds the shed where "Boss" laying dying after being shot. Boss's shot is replied by the Aboriginal Elder. Chas who hears the shot runs back finding both of them dead in the end.
Chas is torn between the hate and anger of his Boss's death with the fact that his own 'kind' killed him to protect him. Chas is a caring person while "Boss" hides his feelings from the world but finally opens up at the last moment of his life.
This film gives an insight into the relationship between an Aboriginal man, a white guy and someone with mixed blood. It opens out to another world that is unknown to others apart from the characters.
- Yat Sau

FILM REVIEW
Wind, a movie directed by Ivan Sen, is about a trooper called Boss, an Aboriginal Elder and a mixed blood man named Chas. Each character has their own distinctive role. The background of this movie is in the forest and on the mountains. This is also a movie of few words.
At first, the movie is slow and peaceful. Both the Boss and Chas find a blood trail which leads them to a dead man who is believed to have died because of an unfortunate fall at the stream. They rest and drink some water from the stream and proceed on their journey. When they arrive at the mountaintop, Boss orders Chas to wait with the horse while he goes downhill. Chas waits for long and he decides to take a nap and ties the horse to a tree. When he is sleeping, an Aboriginal elder comes and steals the horse away. When Chas wakes up, he is horrified to have lost the horse. He goes searching for it when he comes upon a little hut. He goes inside and finds Boss lying weakly on the ground. Boss is dehydrated. They stay in the hut that night and keep the hut warm.
Chas wakes up early the next morning and goes searching for the horse and traces its hoof trails to a 'rocky sandy mountain'. Chas is horrified to see the fingerprints on the wall to be much more bigger than his. Chas is making his way back to the hut when he hears gunshots. He rushes back to the hut and finds a rifle outside the hut. He hurriedly rushes into the hut and finds Boss lying lifelessly on the ground. He goes over to Boss and Boss is indeed dead with injuries on his forehead. Suddenly, the Aboriginal Elder, who was lying behind the door pushes the door aside. Chas angrily pulls the Elder's clothing and drags him outside. He angrily holds the rifle and is going to shoot him when the Elder falls to the ground dead. The Elder had been shot by Boss earlier on the shoulder and suffered from serious injuries which has caused his death. Suddenly, he hears the horse's neigh. He goes over to the horse and cries as he held it.
We find out through the sparse conversations that Chas has been brought up by Boss since he was a little boy and Chas has always been faithful to him. They have developed a close and respectful relationship. On the night at the hut, Boss gives Chas his cap with a police brooch on it. Boss wants Chas to have it as a sign of a close and appreciative relationship. As for Chas, he respects Boss as his elder and is willing to protect him from anything. Unfortunately, he fails to do so. In this story, the Aboriginal Elder has been killed for his culture that is not respected by the European Australian Boss and for stealing the horse.
In my opinion, this story speaks plenty of a close relationship between two persons, one who is of the upper society and one of the lower society. Chas respects Boss and would do anything he could for Boss. As for Boss, he treasured Chas and gave him the cap.
Caroline

FILM REVIEW
Ivan's Sen's film, Wind, set in the late 1800s, is about an Aboriginal male servant who serves and follows his elderly sergeant. Jess, the servant and his 'boss' are searching through the forested and rural areas - hunting for something or for someone.
The main outline of the story is about Jess, who was found by the 'boss' when he was just a little boy. This white sergeant took care and looked after him. Now, all grown up, Jess is obliged to serve and follow this kind soul. Out on the search for an Aboriginal murderer, Jess, unaware of his master's task, follows blindly. The search and hunt is indeed tough as they have little food and only one means of transport, their horse.
Many strange things happen during this journey. The 'Boss' coughs out purple blood, the horse mysteriously disappears. All this time, Jess is finding all sorts of clues and connections which must have been his past. The story ends when the Aboriginal murderer is in contact with the white boss. A gunshot is fired, and when Jess returns, from his 'finding himself' session. He finds his boss dead, and the culprit still standing. Jess takes it upon himself as his duty and kills his elder. The only memory of his kind-hearted boss is the sergeant cap that his boss gave him, hours before his death. Jess, now a free man - can finally go on in life, and perhaps find his origin and about his past.
There are three characters in this film. The 'Boss', Jess and the elderly Aboriginal. The boss is a sergeant of some sort and is on a task, hunting for an Aboriginal murderer, one that kills white people. At the beginning, the impression I had of Boss was rather poor. He treats Jess like a servant seeming very impatient and unreasonable. He drinks a little too much, seems very unkind. Yet when he reminds Jess how he took him in, when he had found Jess among the trees, my impression of him changes as the film progresses. He actually has a kind heart, as not many white people would take in and bring up a black boy in the late 1800's.
Although he seems cold, inside he is actually rather caring and does show concern for Jess. Before the boss dies, he gives his sergeant's cap to Jess, that must have had a lot of sentimental value to him, proving how much he appreciates and cares for Jess. Jess is the opposite character of the boss. He is willing to follow and serve his boss. He does not think for himself, and does not have a mind of his own. He does what he is ordered to do. My impression of Jess is that he is very committed and dedicated to his boss, rushing to his boss when he thinks his boss is in some trouble. This shows that he loves and cares for his boss a lot. The amount of concern can be seen through his voice. He obeys, listens and is appreciative of simple things of life. He seems self-sacrificing even when he gives the apple to the horse as he knew it was hungry and tired. Although the Boss does not treat him very well, he never shows any hatred towards him. I admire this fact about Jess. He is very forgiving as he knows his Boss does not mean all the nasty things he often says.
The elderly Aboriginal gives me the impression that he does not give the white people a chance. He holds a grudge and is not at all forgiving. He is rather sadistic as he kills any white person he sees. He is very cunning, taking the horse like that to distract Jess, so that he himself could kill the boss. Jess finds some connection with his past and the elderly Aboriginal could feel it. He cries, which shows that there is compassion in him.
Jess and his Boss have a close relationship. Although Boss would never admit this totally to Jess, he does turn to Jess when he is troubled. As Jess never comments, Jess makes a very good listener which is what the boss needs, some one to hear him out. I can state confidently that they both mean a lot to each other. Losing each other would be a painful experience as does happen when the boss dies. Jess cries as though he lost his own father. Jess treats the boss like his father, and him the filial son. The boss, treats Jess like an adopted servant son.
Both care and love each other dearly. The boss shows his appreciation to Jess when he gives Jess his cap. And Jess shows his dedication as he obeys, listens and shows so much concern for the boss. However, the boss does not show his concern to Jess very often. He would rather keep it to himself. Forgiving, kind, loving, understanding, all ears, self-sacrificing and dedicated - Jess indeed makes a very good servant son. Loud, frank, less understanding, less open and not self-sacrificing, these are the differences between Jess and the boss.
There is no relationship between the elderly Aboriginal and Jess. Although during one part of the film, there is a connection between the both of them. However, I feel there is nothing similar in their personalities. Two very different people, although the same race and the same kind.
The film has indeed given me an insight of the Aboriginal people and the life of Aboriginal people. I have a greater understanding about how Aboriginal Australians look like and behave. I have learnt a lot through this film and feel that I have come one step closer to understanding the cruel past. I think that the film was made to educate others about the life of an Aboriginal Australian in the past. For the ignorant people, it lets them learn about the past and the country's history. Although a sad ending, the final message got through to everyone. A well-written film, a very well directed film and an eye opener, all rolled into one.
Sarah-Anne

FILM REVIEW
I've just watched a film called "WIND". It was written by Ivan Sen. This film consists of three characters: Chas, "Boss's" Slave; "Boss", a trooper, and an aboriginal elder who doesn't appear much in the film.
The story starts with Chas and his boss. "Boss" is scouting through a sparse terrain of Australia. Soon Chas finds a trail belonging to someone. The two then go searching. After a while, they reach a hill where they both split up. While waiting for "Boss", Chas falls asleep. While sleeping, the Aboriginal Elder comes by and takes Chas's horse away. After waking up, realising that his horse was stolen, he goes searching for his boss to report to him. Not far from where he has been sleeping is a small wooden cabin. Chas goes inside to find "Boss" lying on the floor. Chas starts a fire to revive the nearly frozen "Boss". That afternoon, "Boss" gives his trooper's hat to Chas who receives it gratefully. Early next morning, Chas not giving up on his boss, desperately tries to find the stolen horse. However, to his horror, he hears a loud gunshot coming from the cabin's direction. He rushes back, but only to find his boss lying dead on the floor. Behind the cabin's, Chas finds the person who has killed his boss, the Aboriginal Elder. Furious, Chas drags the old man out of the cabin, taking along his boss's rifle with him. At first, Chas wants to kill the old man real fast, but then he hesitates because he is part-aboriginal himself. However, the old man dies soon after suffering a great deal of pain from the gunshot given by "Boss", and that's how the story ends.
This film shows us the problems with racist attitudes, that it can lead to great deal of suffering and cause deadly consequences for both black and white Australians.
"Botak",Kiang

FILM REVIEW
Wind is a film by Ivan Sen about the relationship between Aboriginal Australians and men of other races. Chas, an Aboriginal Australian is the servant to the boss who is white. The boss has been like a father to him because in a conversation Boss reminds him that he has been the one that has brought him up. This causes a strong bond of loyalty to form between Chas and Boss. There is also an aboriginal elder who is believed to have murdered a white man. So, Boss and Chas track the aboriginal elder down and to kill him before he performs any other murders. In the end, both Boss and the Aboriginal Elder die and Chas is left alone with the horse.
Chas has two sides: Aboriginal at heart but he also loyal to his white boss. He understands nature like a true Aboriginal Australian. Being brought up by his Boss, he also does not retaliate whenever Boss does or says anything to him that goes against his own roots. Boss, on the other hand, is a racist calling Chas names and humiliating him. He has tuberculosis and dies at the end of the film. There isn't much known of the elder because the film does not portray much about him. All that is known is that he has been suspected of murder and is wanted dead. He dies also at the end of the film mysteriously.
In my opinion, there is a big gap between the Aboriginal and the White Australians. There is discrimination and the Aboriginal Australians seem to have not been given fair treatment as all deserve. This is portrayed in the movie where Chas is the servant while the white man is the boss. What is also shown however is that the Aboriginal Australians are loyal and they should be respected for their skills. The film overall is for those who are interested and the way of life between the aboriginals and the whites. Others will find the film dull and boring.
Jane

FILM REVIEW
Ivan Sen's Wind is about a half Aboriginal boy and his elderly master cum superior. "Boss" is a police officer whilst Chas is a boy whom Boss finds in a tree and brings up. It is also about an elderly aboriginal chief.
Whilst investigating the murder of people in the land, Chas is left to look after the horse whilst Boss goes forward with his shotgun. Chas feeds the horse half an apple although he knows they are running out of food. Soon Chas ties the horse's reins to a tree and settles down to take a rest. While Chas is asleep, an Aboriginal Elder comes and steals the horse. When Chas wakes up, he is shocked to find the horse missing and goes off looking for the horse.
Soon Chas comes to a hut and goes inside. He is astonished to find Boss lying on the floor barely alive. He immediately starts a fire to keep Boss warm. Chas then looks after Boss. Boss however, know he is dying and hands over his police hat as a sign of gratitude for all the years that Chas has looked after him and cared for him. The moment Chas receives the hat, he starts to cry. The next morning Chas goes out to look for the horse again thinking it ran away. Chas soon comes upon a cave and climbs up the wall to find hand paintings. On instinct Chas climbs down and starts running hearing a gun shot. As Chas reaches the hut, he finds Boss's shotgun on the floor outside. He picks it up and cocks it for action. Chas slowly opens the door and is shocked to find Boss lying on the floor. Chas runs over to Boss and keeps asking Boss whether he is all right. As Chas turns Boss over, blood can be seen running down the side of Boss's head. A sick gurgling sound makes Chas turn around and he finds the aboriginal elder behind the open door with a gun wound to his stomach. Chas's bitterness turns to anger and he drags the aboriginal elder out the door and onto the plains. There he takes the shotgun and prepares to shoot the aboriginal elder. Just then the Elder dies. Chas is left crying and with blood on his hands. Chas then kisses the horse later on and goes off.
Chas is a half aboriginal boy who was climbing a tree when Boss spots him and saves him by taking him in. Along the way Boss teaches Chas English and trains him up to be a helper. Boss is an Englishman who saves Chas and brings him up. Boss is also a police officer and is quite old and is infected with a fatal disease probably tuberculosis as he is vomiting blood. The Aboriginal Elder appears to live alone and is probably responsible for the deaths of the people in the region possibly due his own people being decimated by white settlers and so he has decided to take revenge.
In my opinion Wind is a good film and clearly showcases the identity crisis that most half-aboriginal Australians face. It also shows the cruelty that aboriginals have to endure and what actions it can drive them to. A touching part of the film was how much Chas cared for Boss. It touches right down to the heart and it is so saddening to find that Boss dies in the end. The watcher of the film really feels how Chas is feeling and feels sorry for him. Besides that, the film also portrays how close aboriginals are to animals and also how talented they are in following tracks and reading wind changes. Overall I would heartily recommend this film if it was not for a few quirks. One of them that brings a question to mind is why Boss died in the hut while his shotgun is lying outside. Another funny thing is why Boss is able to find the hut in the first place. Putting those aside, I would still recommend this film.
Zhungyi

FILM REVIEW
Ivan Sen's film "Wind" allows viewers to gain perspective about how much life was made complicated by the intrusion of whites into Aboriginal society in the late 1800's. Through the film, the audience observes the perplexities involved in the people's lives regarding issues such as searching for loyalty and belonging, identity and trust.
The film, in summary, revolves around three characters; Chas, Boss and an Aboriginal Elder. With little narration, the viewer is made to watch closely in order to comprehend the abstract ideas being put forward. Chas, a young Aboriginal Australian has been completely sheltered from his heritage. Amazingly, despite the lack of communication that Chas has had with his own people, he still has inherited many Aboriginal instincts. Chas has grown up though being loyal to a white man known as Boss, and regards him as a father- figure, a part in Chas' life which was missing.
The main storyline is about an Aboriginal Elder who is believed to have murdered a white man. This is found out and hence turns violent. Chas and Boss' job is to track down this Aboriginal man. Due to unforeseeable circumstances, Chas soon finds himself alone in a vast area of land. The audience is left hanging in the balance at the end of the film debating certain issues which I will discuss later on in the review.
Boss, an essential character of the film is introduced in such a way that the first impression that the audience gets of him is one of a racist discriminator. He uses pejorative words such as " nigger" against his own servant and other Aboriginal Australians. What surprises the viewer here is how much respect Chas gives Boss despite all the name-calling. Boss also tends to speak and act on impulse. The negative traits of Boss do, to a certain extent, contribute to his death at the end of the film.
Chas can be said to be the most admirable character of the film. Despite being treated like dirt by Boss at times, Chas looks up to and respects Boss greatly. This could perhaps have been due to Boss acting as a father-figure to Chas, and hence his obligatory respect. However, I also feel that Chas is lost and confused. although being brought up in a white community, the audience sees Chas longing and perhaps need to be integrated back into aboriginal society. Perhaps, he's feeling lost in the white community but doesn't know how to fit back into his own society. He's confused with his own identity. Although he knows that he is Aboriginal, he hasn't been able to tell himself what he really wants to be. He weighs this issue constantly throughout the duration of the film. Chas can be said to be a black man within a white man.
Not much can be said about the Aboriginal Elder as he does not show much expression except that of anguish at the end of the film. However, I would like to comment that in my opinion, the he does seem to represent what Chas wants to become, while Boss represents what he has been brought up to be. The horse, a neutral character, represents Chas' current state of mind. It represents Chas' dilemma. The horse being led off by both Boss and the Aboriginal Elder at different points of the film gives the viewer an update as to what Chas was thinking at that particular point in time.
In my opinion, the entire film is really about searching for one own's identity. Often, we, being human get caught up in wanting to believe that we are who we dream to be so much so that we lose our sense of identity. This results in the loss of one's sense of belonging due to the insecurity of not knowing who we really are. Hence, what the film is trying to convey to us is that our identity is based solely on our roots. I say this because all evidence from the film points to this conclusion. When Chas is called names by Boss, we know that although Chas does not express his feelings outwardly, he is likely to be hurt by those words. This would result in the loss of loyalty, hence making him go back to his Aboriginal roots. One could also see how sorry he was for the death of the Aboriginal Elder and this would increase loyalty towards his roots. After all, Chas does not even know the Aboriginal Elder.
In conclusion, the film has succeeded in making the viewer think about their own identity. This is done by using the inconclusive ending - Chas kissing the horse. In this way, the viewer is made to think for himself about where Chas can place his loyalty and hence make the viewers think, indirectly about their own identity.
Ji Zhen

FILM REVIEW
The film Wind is set in the late 1800s.There are only three main characters in the film, Chas, Boss and an Aboriginal Elder. Chas and Boss are hunting down a murderer who has been killing white people.
The film starts out with barefooted Chas guiding Boss who is riding a horse tracking down the murderer in the woods. They find a dead white man beside a stream. We can see discrimination towards black people in Boss when he says "Damn nigger". Boss is very sure that the murderer is an Aboriginal although nothing points out that the murderer is an Aboriginal. Chas digs a grave while Boss sits and rests, drinking from his flasks. Chas is not allowed to rest and is even reprimanded when he shows concern for Boss. Later, their horse is missing and Boss is sick. Chas tries to find the horse and comes across a cave with Aboriginal art on the walls. He seems to feel as one with the place and as if he belongs there. The aboriginal elder is sitting somewhere, looking downwards lonesomely crying. Chas hears a gunshot later in the film. He finds Boss dead and he takes Boss's gun, pointing it towards the Aboriginal Elder. In the end, the Aboriginal Elder is dead although Chas didn't fire any shot. Chas embraces the horse.
Chas is young and strangely attached to Boss which may be because Boss brought him up since he was small. He loves animals and is good at tracking. Through the wind and anything natural around him, he is able to find whatever Boss wants him to. He is very touched when Boss gives him a cap. Boss looks down on black people and is portrayed as old, rough and sickly. The Aboriginal elder is mysterious, wistful and is scared, living like a hunted animal. Chas is torn between a white person who raised him and his elder. He chooses the horse that is his the only companion and never expects anything from him.
From this film narrative, we see how much a person can suffer from having an identity crisis. Besides that, although a person may not have done anything wrong, he or she may be accused just because of his or her skin colour, not based on proof. Chas chooses the horse instead of Boss and the elder after swirls of thoughts running through his mind on whether to choose to kill the elder. In the whole movie, the horse is the one which treats him the best. We can see how inhumane people can be when a person chooses an animal instead of his own kind.
Kgia Loong

FILM REVIEW
"Wind" is an award winning film directed and written by Ivan Sen. The length of this film lasts 35 minutes. It is a film that has a touching storyline. The whole story happens around the gold rush era of the 1850's Australia. The main character is a young Aboriginal man, Jess who with his white master, a old policeman is tracking down a killer supposedly an Aboriginal Elder.
At the beginning, Ivan Sen successfully created a tense atmosphere in the film. Later, it becomes less tense and viewers are required to think in order to fit the plots together. This means that everyone can have their own perspective on the film. From my point of view, its theme is based on the lost identity of the Aboriginal people in Australia due the white settlement. Most of the Aboriginal people in Australia just like Jess do not practice their own culture though they know their identities. However, they do still have features which they inherit from their ancestor. Besides having dark skin, most of them like animals. Examples can be found in the film where Jess loves his horse very much.
Jess' master has a very racist attitude towards Jess. He uses harsh words such as "nigger". Living so long with Jess, he has developed a very special relationship. They are more than just servant and master. Therefore, Jess is very loyal towards him. The Aboriginal elder is character who plays an important role in the story though he is very suspicious. I think Ivan Sen used him as a character to represent Aboriginal people who still practise the traditional indigenous life style.
To sum up my review, "Wind" is fine film which is only suitable for mature audiences but this is not because of violence. It requires a mature mind to understand the film. Teenagers and children most probably would not enjoy this film.
Yee Chee

FILM REVIEW
Ivan Sen's WIND is set in the early 1800s. It consists of three main characters, 'Boss', Chas and an Aboriginal elder. 'Boss' and Chas are searching through the forests and mountains for the Aboriginal elder who is suspected of committing a series of murders.
Chas is loyal and caring towards 'Boss'. He, like a true Aboriginal, can follow tracks and listen to the wind. He was found by 'Boss' when he was very young. Torn between two worlds - Aboriginal and modern - he decides to follow the horse at the end of the story because of the horse's undying and undemanding loyalty. Boss is selfish and prejudiced against Aboriginals. However, inside his cold hard shell, he is warm and kind-hearted to Chas. 'Boss' likes Chas and trusts him. The Aboriginal Elder is fragile and old. He doesn't say anything, but he wore an expression of pain and sorrow when Chas was poised to shoot him to death, showing his disappointment in Chas, that he would do such a thing as to shoot his elder.
WIND starts with Chas following the tracks in the forest in search of and trail that leads to the Aboriginal elder. In the first scene, we learn that 'Boss' is ill when he starts coughing out blood. We also see Chas' concern for his ill boss. 'Boss' then left to scout the area leaving Chas and the horse to rest by a tree at the top of the hill. Chas wakes up to find 'Boss' gone. He then goes to search for him, his search ending at a hut where 'Boss' was resting. Upon finding 'Boss', Chas turns to look for his horse. During his search for the horse, he hears a gunshot and dashes back to the hut, only to find 'Boss' dead. He looks around and sees the Aboriginal elder. He drags him out and notices that he had been injured by the gunshot. Chas takes a rifle and aims at him but found himself unable to kill him. However, the Aboriginal dies in the end. Chas then kisses the neutral horse, signifying that he is sitting on the fence in between the modern and Aboriginal world

SAZZI AND LENNARD

FILM REVIEW
Wind is a short one hour film made by Ivan Sen that leaves many people thinking about its open-ended final scene.
This film is generally about an Aboriginal Elder that have been going around the place killing people, and a white skin policeman with his servant, a born aboriginal but educated by a white man.
The characters in this film consists of three people, the policeman (Boss), the Aboriginal Elder or Chas the mixed blood aboriginal. The policeman is the man that found Chas when he was young and educated him, the policeman is quite racist about the blacks. The Aboriginal Elder in my opinion is either a murderer, or he could possibly be searching for something that maybe Chas. Chas is a loyal servant to his Boss and do not complain about anything, and he also has the aboriginal genes that shows how he can sense danger and read the wind
As conclusion, I would like to say that the film is a very opinion based film, leaving it up to you to decide what happens in the end.
Jie-Xing (Peter)