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form y separately published work icon Sweet Country single work   film/TV   crime   thriller   western  
Issue Details: First known date: 2017... 2017 Sweet Country
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Sweet Country is set in 1929 in the outback of the Northern Territory. It is the story of a young boy called Philomac, who witnesses Sam, an Aboriginal stockman, kill station owner Harry Marsh in self defence. Sam and his pregnant wife Lizzie go on the run and a posse pursues them across the outback. The posse cannot catch Sam, as he is a clever man and an expert bushman. Eventually for the health of his pregnant wife, Sam gives himself up. A trial is held in town and when the truth comes out in the courtroom about Sam's actions, he is acquitted. Justice has been served. Philomac and Sam set off on their journey home, but soon after leaving town, a shot rings out and Justice is crushed…' (Publication summary)

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Works about this Work

Hot, Wild Heart Eleanor Hogan , 2022 single work essay
— Appears in: Inside Story , October 2022;

'Despite its extremes, Mparntwe Alice Springs still maintains a grip'
"Sweet Country"'s Powerful Depiction Of Racial Dynamics And Tensions Of The 1920s Casey Clarke , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: NEW : Emerging Scholars in Australian Indigenous Studies , March vol. 5 no. 1 2020;
— Review of Sweet Country Steven McGregor , David Tranter , 2017 single work film/TV

'Warwick Thornton’s outback western, Sweet Country (2017) is a powerful depiction of the racial dynamic and tensions of the 1920’s. The plot follows the story of Sam Kelly, an Indigenous man, who shoots and kills a white man Harry March in self-defence. The themes of colonialism, law and power cultivate in the experiences of the Aboriginal and white characters alike. The stories of Aboriginal people from this era are still largely untold, and even a fictional representation of this history, such as Sweet Country, helps the histories of black Australia penetrate the mainstream.'
At Nature's Mercy : The Contemporary Australian Western Brian McFarlane , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: Screen Education , no. 96 2020; (p. 46-55)

'A genre mostly associated with quintessentially American landscapes and cultural tropes, the western has developed its own fascinating tradition in Australia - most notably, since the turn of the twenty-first century. Brian McFarlane surveys a range of films from the last two decades, dealing with subjects such as bushrangers, abuse and colonial dispossession, and finds both echoes of US antecedents and new visions that blaze their own distinctive trails.'

Source: Abstract.
Reading and Viewing : [Indigenous Texts for Year 7 - 10] Deborah McPherson , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 54 no. 1 2019; (p. 76-82)
‘Looking at Her Funny Way’ : Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country Liz Conor , 2019 single work essay
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 16 no. 2 2019; (p. 412=414) 'In the lead-up to this year’s Invasion (AKA Australia) Day, NITV (National Indigenous Television) ran a selection of Australian films ‘celebrating the strength, resilience and survival’ of Aboriginal people, under the hashtag #AlwaysWillBe. Its curated programme slated the television premier of Warwick Thornton’s 2017 film Sweet Country, for the 26 January evening timeslot.' 

 (Introduction)
Remote Conflict Still Resonates David Stratton , 2018 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 20 January 2018; (p. 13)
— Review of Sweet Country Steven McGregor , David Tranter , 2017 single work film/TV

'

Eight years after his astonishing Cannes prizewinning first feature, Samson and Delilah, Warwick Thornton’s majestic Sweet Country scored major awards in Venice and Toronto last year and is officially opening here next week — and it’s no coincidence that it opens in the week of Australia Day. This is a slice of Australian history that an indigenous director such as Thornton is best equipped to depict; only by confronting and examining the racism of a bygone period can we hope to understand why racism is still so prevalent in this “sweet country” of ours.' (Introduction)
"Sweet Country"'s Powerful Depiction Of Racial Dynamics And Tensions Of The 1920s Casey Clarke , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: NEW : Emerging Scholars in Australian Indigenous Studies , March vol. 5 no. 1 2020;
— Review of Sweet Country Steven McGregor , David Tranter , 2017 single work film/TV

'Warwick Thornton’s outback western, Sweet Country (2017) is a powerful depiction of the racial dynamic and tensions of the 1920’s. The plot follows the story of Sam Kelly, an Indigenous man, who shoots and kills a white man Harry March in self-defence. The themes of colonialism, law and power cultivate in the experiences of the Aboriginal and white characters alike. The stories of Aboriginal people from this era are still largely untold, and even a fictional representation of this history, such as Sweet Country, helps the histories of black Australia penetrate the mainstream.'
Confounded Expectations Julie Rigg , 2018 single work review
— Appears in: Inside Story , January 2018;
— Review of Sweet Country Steven McGregor , David Tranter , 2017 single work film/TV

'Archetypes are challenged in Warwick Thornton’s latest film'
Sweet Country : Filmmaker Warwick Thornton Returns to Desert to Share Tale of Rough Justice in 1920s Australia Nick Hose , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , November 2016; 'A white station owner lies dead in the red dirt of central Australia. Nearby on horseback stands the Aboriginal stockman who just shot him. ...'
Filming Sweet Spot in SA Penelope Debelle , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 16 September 2016; (p. 30)
Warwick Thornton Saddles Up For an Aussie Western Jackie Shannon , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 10 September 2016;
Warwick Thornton : Racists Have Ruined the Southern Cross for Everyone Luke Buckmaster , 2017 single work
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 7 June 2017; 'Australia’s fantasies about its past are a real problem, says the Indigenous director ahead of the world premiere of his new film, We Don’t Need A Map.'
How Sweet It Is for Thornton 2017 single work column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 9 August no. 657 2017; (p. 5)

'The landscape around Alice Springs is making waves in this year's Venice International Film Festival. For the first time, an Australian Indigenous feature film has been selected for the world premiere of the official competition.'
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Awards

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Last amended 6 May 2021 11:16:38
Warwick Thornton
Subjects:
Settings:
  • Northern Territory,
  • 1929
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