CLOSE TO THE BONE

In this remarkable film, First Nations people and European settler descendants come together to confront legacies of violence from Australia's pastoral frontier. Can the scars of past atrocities be reconciled and healed through the act of truth-telling?

In September 1852, in South Australia's Flinders Ranges, the mutilated body of 16-year-old shepherd, James Brown, was found. The next day, a reprisal party of 17 men killed a disputed number of First Nations people. 170 years later, descendants of James Brown's family return to the Flinders Ranges and reach out to people from some of the Aboriginal groups and share memories of the traumatic early period of European invasion.

What happens when stories of violence and conquest on Australia's colonial frontier are more than just an historical abstraction, with powerful and personal meanings for families and individuals on both sides of the inter-cultural frontier? Can the scars of past atrocities be reconciled and healed through the act of truth-telling?

Close to the Bone is a practical exercise in 'truth and reconciliation', engaging with culturally and politically challenging material, in an effort to forge shared understandings. The film reveals diverse understandings of historic events, while seeking to resolve a shared path forward. In doing so, the film is informed by Charlie Perkins' words: 'We know we cannot live in the past, but the past lives in us.'

VIEW TRAILER HERE: vimeo.com/953769667

Written, directed and produced by Malcolm McKinnon and Jared Thomas.
Executive Producer: Margot Phillipson
Photography - Max Mackinnon, Kim Mavromatis and Malcolm McKinnon
Editor: Malcolm McKinnon
Music: Jenny M. Thomas and Bush Gothic

Developed and financed with the assistance of the South Australian Film Corporation
Financed with the assistance of Documentary Australia Foundation
Assisted by the History Trust of South Australia and private donors including the Suzanne Elliott Charitable Trust, the Graham F. Smith peace Foundation, the Perera & Picco Charitable Foundation and the Don Dunstan Foundation.
Produced in partnership with the South Australian Museum and the University of South Australia

(c) 2022, Reckless Eye Productions

---

ATOM STUDY GUIDE

An excellent Study Guide for CLOSE TO THE BONE, prepared by ATOM (Australian Teachers of Media), is available for a small fee from the website of ATOM's Education Shop: theeducationshop.com.au/downloads/atom-study-guides/close-to-the-bone-atom-study-guide/

---

0 Shares Tweet0 Pins

Related files

• preview Click here to download a Word doc of the Information Kit for CLOSE TO THE BONE: (DOCX 18.3 kb)

Permalink: https://www.roninfilms.com.au/feature/18611