'Night Cries: A rural tragedy' by Tracey Moffatt

A barren and arid landscape under a sun burnt sky opens a complex story in Tracey Moffatt’s 1989 short film, ‘Night cries’. Howling wolves set an unsettling tone as the audience is introduced to the film’s two main characters, a middle-aged Indigenous woman and her dying Caucasian mother. Moffatt depicts a bittersweet relationship between a mother and daughter, touching upon issues of mixed race families and the Assimilation Policy of the sixties. This legislation enforced Indigenous children to be adopted into white families, which is illustrated by Moffatt’s use of symbolism to demonstrate colonization.[1] The daughter faces a battle between the love and loyalty she has for her mother, overshadowed by evocations of a childhood nightmare.[2] The daughter feels obliged to fulfill her duty as a caretaker, yet longs for her own independence in a distant place. Flashbacks and dreams into the future confuse the character, forcing the viewer to become empathetic with her situation. The viewer questions whether the daughter feels trapped and willing to define her own independence, or whether she is longing for her true Indigenous family. 

Moffatt's short film touches upon controversial subject matter, but does it artistically and subtly. Her work incorporates a degree of ambiguity, forcing the viewer to construct their own conclusions. This is an effective tool that has allowed her to explore social and political issues, without appearing to construct a protest.  The film brought to my attention the effects of the Assimilation policy, and the complications that it caused for many mixed race families. 

---

[1] National Museum of Australia, “States agreed on a policy of assimilation at the 1961 Native Welfare Conference”, National Museum of Australia, http://www.indigenousrights.net.au/document.asp?iID=946, (accessed 16/08/2011).

[2] Janet Watson, “Fractured Realities, Fractured Truths in Tracey Moffatt’s Nice Coloured Girls and Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy”, Deakin University, http://www.doubledialogues.com/archive/issue_nine/watson.html, (accessed 16/08/2011).