The post colonial film “The Sapphires” gives voice to Indigenous Australians and attempts to evoke a spirit of reconciliation through the use of recurring motifs, camera angles, diegetic music and comparisons.
Reconciliation is promoted in the scene when Kaye goes to Uncle Ed’s house after Gail and Cynthia visited her at her apartment by utilising recurring motifs and camera angles. The reoccurrence of “soul sister” in the song shows how Gail and Kaye’s relationship is evoking a spirit of reconciliation by the four girls diegetically singing together. This is also shown with the use of a three shot in this scene and a single shot. The three shot of Kaye, Cynthia and Julie show how they are united and a team, whereas having Gail in the single shot by herself reveals she is by
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When the song is first played at the start of the film, it represents how the meaning of the film relates to the story of Moses as he leads the Jews from slavery, which aligns with the Sapphires escaping racial oppression, as the songs political messages are hope for Indigenous Australians and defiance against racism. Therefore giving the Indigenous a voice. The reoccurrence of the diegetic song not only in the first scene but when it was played over the Martin Luther King Jr speech, challenges the post colonial racism by showing the triumph of the Sapphires over oppression and the justice that was achieved in the civil rights movement. Not only does the song reveal the message of overcoming racial oppression, having the girls singing the song to their mum shows how the two different social groups have reconciled as Kaye had grown up in the white community after being part of the Stolen generation, and was then led back to her home by the girls, just like Moses