Ray Lawrence’s socially provocative Australian film, Jindabyne(2006), presents a thought-provoking and contemporary outlook on racial prejudice, the dramatised moral dilemma of responsibility, and a confronting depiction of reconciliation. The film dramatises the struggle over Australia 's history, representing the past as deeply alienating, as it explores the complexity of the relationships between racially diverse characters in post-colonial Australia. Lawrence establishes the reconciliation of characters through sound, further examining the relationship between cultures and genders in conflict. Through symbols, Lawrence explores deceit, and the roles, perceptions and experiences of men and women within various relationships, demonstrating the unforgiving consequences of division and distrust. The film presents …show more content…
Jindabyne utilises conventions and ideas from the drama genre to communicate these central themes exploring the film 's significance in the context of Australia as a post-colonial society.
Through symbols, Lawrence examines the damaging effects of deceit on relationships, while also demonstrating the unforgiving consequences that division and distrust has on the white and indigenous community. The film opens with a close-up shot of barbed wire, a symbol connoting the division of land. The close-up shot combined with a haunting melody reinforces the town’s hostility and the deceit between the characters, evoking feelings of unease within the audience. Furthermore, Lawrence highlights the dominance of Gregory and the man-made ‘powerlines’, symbolic of a higher ‘power’, through low-angled shots, provoking viewers to question White Australia’s dominance over indigenous land. Moreover, Gregory’s deceptiveness as the towns ‘electrician’ casts him as the ‘fisherman’ of men; a psychopath symbolically connected to the fishermen through their ritualised slaughter of