Beneath Clouds (2002, Ivan Sen) is a beautiful, tragic portrayal of youths in Australia. It follows the characters, Lena and Vaughn as they meet by chance on their way to Sydney.
the landscape shots are breathtaking and the cinematography is inspiring, this coupled with an amazing concept and script makes it one of my favorite films to date.
There are still parts of the film that adhere to the convention of indigenous representation. This is shown by Vaughn utilising the land and his surroundings by picking corn and igniting fires. However, the idea of indigenous representation is cleverly flipped on its head with the character of Lena having an Aboriginal mother and an Irish father making her appearance somewhat white. however, Vaughn presumes she has no idea of the life of an Indigenous Australian. This theme resonates through the film and the little dialogue there is illustrates the tendency for the characters to be closed.
The similarity between the two youths is startling but the continue to judge each other, by showing these points of view we can see as an audience, society's stifling prejudices.
The film Beneath Clouds is a poignant film, exploring hardship and the struggle for a better life that is denied to so many.
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