High Ground Parent Guide

Trained as a sniper in WWI, Travis (Simon Baker) starts working with law enforcement in northern Australia’s outback only to unwittingly become part of a massacre and face self-imposed exile when he refuses to participate in the cover-up. Twelve years later, he’s dragged back in to the conflict as Baywara (Sean Mununggurr), a survivor of the massacre, starts raiding local settler stations. Travis only participates because he believes he can prevent further violence, and his honesty encourages young Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul) to help him track the man down. But Travis is more or less alone in his determination to find a peaceful resolution, and the others are not patient.

My first thought when I read the description for this film was “Oh, like Quigley Down Under.” At first glance, the movies share the same basic premise: white marksman finds himself struggling to do the right thing in the face of colonial genocide. But High Ground is far less action-focused and far more concerned with the fate of Aboriginal people. Director Stephen Johnson worked with Aboriginal elder Wityana Marika on the story for the film, and the result is a portrayal of Aboriginal culture which is both informed and sincere – at least, as far as one middle-class white North American can tell. If nothing else, you can see that the filmmakers are interested in telling a story which is not primarily about the white guy with a gun. It’s a story about the brutal consequences of colonialism as they tear apart existing communities and cultures. In order to tell that story, the focus has to be on the Aboriginal characters.

Jacob Junior Nayinggul, who plays Gutjuk, and the rest of the Aboriginal cast are the reason this film is as compelling and relevant as it is. Without their input and contribution, this really would just be another version of Quigley, sans Tom Selleck. Films trying to accurately display indigenous cultures are not common, even in 2021, and this one is particularly good.

Now, before I keep raving about how relevant and important this movie is, I should point out that this is not a film for children. Graphic violence, frequent profanity, and a non-explicit rape scene push this movie into Restricted territory and render it deeply upsetting to watch. Which is, in fairness, the point of the film. You can’t really confront colonial history without some portrayal of what colonialism looked like on the ground, just like you can’t make a movie about the holocaust without talking about a concentration camp. So while these depictions are unpleasant, they are also crucial in understanding history – not just in Australia but in North America and any other region where the effects of colonialism linger into the present. I can see this being a teaching aid for high school or university students talking about colonialism, because while the story itself is fictional, the history is all too real.