THE DROVER'S WIFE THE LEGEND MOLLY JOHNSON

Australia, 2021, 109 minutes, Colour.

Leah Purcell, Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw, Anthony Cogin, Harry Greenwood, Benedict Hardie, Nicholas Hope, Bruce Spence, Maggie Dence.

Directed by Leah Purcell.

Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story is an Australian classic. Writer/director/actor Leah Purcell has spoken of her love for the story from her childhood, opening up her imagination. In later years, she has certainly opened up her imagination in exploring the characters of Lawson’s story, shaping the story into a theatre drama, award-winning, then a novel, award-winning. Now she has made the film version, an obvious nominee for film awards.

Leah Purcell has made this a darker and bleaker story than Henry Lawson’s. She gives a name to the drover’s wife, Molly Johnson, her husband droving sheep in the mountains, frequently absent, her living with her children, pregnant at the opening of the film. She lives a hard life, surviving, the harsh birth sequence, grief.

The audience is taken into Molly Johnson’s life, the basic hut, and her often busily sweeping neatness on the dusty entry, austere but surrounded by extraordinary photography of the Snowy Mountains, the landscapes around Adaminaby – although this is the opposite mood from The Man from Snowy River.

Meanwhile a local town is growing, a young British policeman and his wife pass by the hut (Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw), a sympathy for Molly, the wife, eager to write articles on the situation of women in the bush, also eager to help. But, her husband, is very strictly law and order. And there is a lot to be concerned about, the rough life in the town, the visiting drovers and Wanderers, the women and the brothels, the difficulties of imposing order. And, there are strict people in the town, Bruce Spence as the local priest, Maggie Dence his austere sister -– and some of their taints of racial prejudice and superiority, all delivered with righteous certainty.

However, at the centre of this tale is an aboriginal man, Yadaka, played by the versatile Rob Collins. He is wanted for murder, turns up at the drover’s hut, threatened by Molly, eventually some understanding, his helping Molly’s oldest son, moments of initiation rituals. He is able to tell his story, a strange story of his being taken from his family, working in a circus, searching for a peaceful place in the bush. This place is a dream of hope in your bleak storytelling. He also has stories about Molly’s mother and father which heighten the racial tensions.

And then the tale becomes grimmer. The drover’s friends turning up, threatening Yadaka, Molly fearing danger for her children, but her then becoming target of the law abiding policeman.

Lawson highlighted the loneliness of the drover’s wife, the isolation. This is certainly to the fore in Leah Purcell’s interpretation, strengthened by Leah Purcell’s powerful screen presence. But she is a force to be reckoned with even as she is victimised – and this interpretation is a fierce indictment of macho arrogance of the 19^th century male (and all who are descended from these 19^th-century migrants will be alarmed at these aspects of their heritage). You are able to stir deeply as well as stir up all kinds of emotions in us, a greater awareness of Molly’s life and pain – and Leah Purcell does not spare us the vicious and raping attack on her, her violent response.

Which means that many audiences will see this as a late 19^th century, early 20^th century Me#Too stand for women and their rights, condemnation of male violence and brutality. This is made especially strong in the final sequences, perhaps dramatically unnecessary – or too explicit, but nevertheless, thematically relevant, then and now.

Leah Purcell has made a drama, bringing her first nation experiences and sensibilities to her writing and to her performance, one of those Australian films that, however tough it might be, should be seen.

1. The impact of the film? Reputation? The work of the Leah Purcell, writing, directing, performing?
2. Henry Lawson story, 1892, the bush, the isolation of the drover’s wife, with her children? The drover away? Leah Purcell’s adaptation, giving the wife and name, names of the children, visualising the hut, the drover droving sheep, the high country, the isolation, the wife and her pregnancy, the difficulty of her birth, the death of the child, burial? A hard life?
3. The mountain photography, the sweep of the beauty, the mountain with the hut, the mountains and the sheep and the droving? The contrast with the town, being built, harsh, streets, buildings, homes? The fair and the celebration and the various stalls and attractions? The musical score?
4. Henry Lawson and the loneliness and isolation of the wife? Leah Purcell, the issue of isolation, but also relationships between men and women, the brutality of men, the pressure on women, violent reaction? The wife wanting to write the articles and stories? The arrest of Molly, the interrogation, the harshness of the law, the execution scene, the protests, the women with their aprons, some dramatic overstatement, but the continued relevance of the theme in the contemporary world?
5. First nation issues, the status of aboriginal peoples at the end of the 19^th century, racism, supremacist attitudes, segregation, abusive behaviour, violence – even to slavery? The aboriginal communities, traditions, but the disruption of families, the young men going to the circus, surviving, accused of murder? The mixed marriages? Yadaka and his stories, the revelation of Molly, her parents, ancestry? And the effect on her children? The priest and his sister, inherent racism and supremacy, wanting to deprive Molly of her children?
6. Molly, first seeing her, strong stand, sweeping the path, with the children, pregnant? The policeman and his wife, passing by, coming up, talking, the wife and her concern, wanting to help the children, taking them to town? The policeman, his attitude towards the law?
7. Yadaka, strong aboriginal man, his presence, Molly’s reaction, hostile, the gun? Gradual helping, talking, assisting with the birth, the burial of the child and Molly mourning it? With the oldest boy, the rituals, beginnings of initiation? His story about his own life, about Molly’s family? On the run?
8. The policeman, his work in the town, story of the white family massacred, the notice with the image of Yadaka? His strict attitudes? His love for her wife, her illness, trying to cope, recovering? His assistant, spectacles, not active? The judge, severe attitudes, the cases? Life in the town, the women, the prostitutes, the men, drinking, brutality? The revelation that the drover lived like this, with the women, his treatment of Molly, the gradual revelation that she killed him, buried him? And the policeman’s suspicions?
9. The priest, his sister, the manner of civilisation in this town, religion, talk, the sister and her superior attitude towards Molly, the children as octoroons? The consequences?
10. The policeman’s wife, recovering from illness, writing the stories, concerned about Molly?
11. The drunken men, friends with the drover, coming to the house, confronting Molly, confronting Yadaka, the audience shock at their hanging him? The treatment of Molly, the rape and abuse? Her response, the gun, the shootings? Audience sympathy with her, discussed with the male brutality?
12. The policeman, arresting Molly, in jail, the wife and her help, her stories? Molly, stoic, accepting her fate? Concerned about her children, the scenes of the relationship with her, the oldest boy? Her rescuing them, sending them to the rock which Yadegar had described and the film visualised?
13. The hanging, the women, the protests, the aprons, a 21^st-century dramatic perspective on these issues?
14. The aftermath, the children, finding the refuge, scenes of the future, their growing up, telling the stories?
15. An important visualisation of the Australian heritage, the colonial attitudes, the drovers of workers, the women, the search respectability, attitude towards First Nation’s people, oppression and prejudice, violence? The film as an indictment of the harsh and brutal attitudes of men in the 19^th century – and beyond?