THE SAPPHIRES MOVIE REVIEW

 I went to the movies last night (cheap Tuesdays) to see a new Australian movie ‘The Sapphires’.  It is the story of a group of Aboriginal sisters/cousins who form a soul group and go to sing in the war zone of Vietnam during the 1960s.  It looked like fun and had good reviews, but I did have a few preconceptions ... that were proved wrong.

It is not a girly movie.  The male I went with pointed out ‘girly movies don’t have war scenes in them’.  (I did bring up GI Jane, but that was a girl’s movie for boys because of the grrrrrowl factor of Demi Moore.)

The sound track is brilliant and all the singers (Debra Mailman included) are fabulous.  Even the lead male Chris O’Dowd* can sing (in the same way that Colin Firth can sing in Mama Mia). 

It is not a musical, so people are not bursting into song to emphasise parts of the story; they are singing as a singing group in the story.

It is not a ‘force-Aboriginal-issues-down-your-throat’ type of movie.  They could have been Aussie-Italians, or Australian-born Chinese; they just happened to be Aboriginal.  

It is not a perfect movie.  The script is a bit clunky in parts, much of the acting is very Australian (unpolished is a way I could describe it), some bits of the movie are overworked and others are just plain melodramatic. 

What does work?  

The glorious honest-ness of the indigenous actors:  They shine in their integrity.  They make you feel warm and welcome for the brief time you watch them on the screen.

The fact that it is based on a real life story:  Fascinating snippets at the end of the flick of the real group and where they are today. 

The gentle lessons presented to us ‘Gubbas’ (white people) of what being Aboriginal may have been like in the 60’s.  Nothing forced or soap-boxy; just shown in a matter-of-fact way, as reminiscences, or as life in its own gentle way. 

At the end of the movie, you feel glad you have seen it, you feel foot-tapping happy, you want to buy the sound track, (you keep thinking ‘Why didn’t Jess Mauboy win Australian Idol?’) and you are in love with Debra Mailman with her glorious realness.

It is not glossy or perfectly produced.  It is a bit raw and real and great.  I won’t give it stars; that would demean the movie.    Just go to see it if you want to have a good time.

*Just as an aside, if you haven’t seen the movie 'Bridesmaids', Chris O’Dowd is the stand out in that movie – the movie wasn’t my cup of tea, but he was great.