Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

87% of critics liked it
(134 reviews)
84% of users liked it
(22,333 ratings)

After directing a number of major motion pictures in the United States, Australian-born filmmaker Phillip Noyce returned home to make this remarkable adventure-drama, based on a true story as well as a lamentable period in his nation's history. When European settlers first arrived in Australia,… More After directing a number of major motion pictures in the United States, Australian-born filmmaker Phillip Noyce returned home to make this remarkable adventure-drama, based on a true story as well as a lamentable period in his nation's history. When European settlers first arrived in Australia, there was an almost immediate conflict between the recent arrivals and the nation's indigenous people, whose rich cultural heritage which bore little resemblance to that of the Europeans. By the mid-19th century, when white settlers had gained political control of the continent, many aborigines found themselves removed from their lands and their children taken from them, under the belief that the youngsters would be better off in a more "civilized" environment. Through most of the 20th century, it was official government policy that half- or quarter-caste indigenous children were to be taken from their families and raised as "white" children in orphanages, where they would be trained to work as domestic servants or laborers. In 1931, Molly (Everlyn Sampi) and her younger sister Daisy (Tianna Sansbury) and cousin Gracie (Laura Monaghan) were three half-caste children from Western Australia who were taken from their parents under government edict and sent to an institution, where they were subject to physical and emotional abuse as they were taught to forget their families, their culture, and their lives up to that point and re-invent themselves as members of "white" Australian society. Gracie and Daisy cling to Molly for support, and Molly decides they need to return to their parents. Molly plans a daring escape, and the three girls begin an epic journey back to Western Australia, travelling 1,500 miles on foot with no food or water, and navigating by following the fence that has been build across the nation to stem an over-population of rabbits. A.O. Neville (Kenneth Branagh), the government functionary in charge of relocating Western Australia's aborigines, takes a special interest in the case of the three girls, and brings in a veteran tracker, Moodoo (David Gulpilil) to help find them, secure in the belief he's acting in their best interest. Rabbit-Proof Fence was based on the acclaimed book by Doris Pilkington Garimara, whose Aunt Daisy was one of the three children who made the extraordinary journey and helped her with the research for the book. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Phillip Noyce
Written By: Christine Olsen
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Nov 29, 2002 Limited
On DVD: Apr 15, 2003
Studio: Miramax Films

Critic Reviews

Michael Booth, Denver Post
[Director Phillip] Noyce shows their awful, eventually uplifting journey without flinching, and the arid Australian wilderness is a co-star of the film.
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Noyce trusts the power of the story to move us. He knows that, like the girls themselves, we'll find our way along Rabbit-Proof Fence.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
It certainly has its moving moments.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
The final shot in the film is one that you won't soon forget.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Searing dramatization of a story of remarkable courage, stamina and spirit.
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic
Many movies claim to illuminate the human spirit, but Rabbit-Proof Fence actually delivers.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
strongest aspect rests with the educational value of its subject
David Gurney, Common Sense Media
Powerful drama about racism ok for tweens and up.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Such an amazing true story leaves many opportunities for overblown melodrama, but Noyce's naturalistic restraint is what makes the film resonate so strongly.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
This true story of some gutsy aboriginee girls who made a daring escape to home across thousands of miles of Australian outback, lyrically inspires and invigorates the human spirit.
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly
Packs such an emotional wallop that it leaves you reeling...It may be one of the greatest movies ever made about the "white man's burden."
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
The grievous truth of what was done to these people, rather than for them, hits viewers hard in the film's unforgettable conclusion....
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Adotando uma estrutura narrativa extremamente simples, Noyce conta a história de forma envolvente e emocionante.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
There is value in bringing this dark passage in Australia's history to light.
Jorge Avila Andrade, Moviola
'Noyce logra su mejor trabajo hasta la fecha, demostrando que lo único que se necesita es la sensibilidad para contar una historia conmovedora y profundamente humana'
Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly
A tedious, labored affair that's only not boring when it's laughably over the top.
Nick Rogers, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
Phillip Noyce makes us cry not at the way human determination triumphs, but how its mere existence can keep us going through seemingly insurmountable odds.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Raymond W

Rabbit-Proof Fence is visually stunning, well-acted film telling of the racism by the British against the Aboriginal peoples of Australia in the 1930's. It's an emotional, heart-breaking jouney enhanced by a haunting and beautiful score by Peter Gabriel.
Lady D

A powerful true story revealing a time in Australian history known as "The Stolen Nation". A gutsy focus on one family and their courage to evade their government forced destinies. Great perforrmances all around.
erika b

Really good plot.
Cindy I

Up until 1970, the Australian government took it upon themselves to take "half-castes (the Australian term for mixed Aboriginal/Caucasian children) from their homes in sanctioned kidnappings, in a midguided attempt to "civilize" them. There was also a more sinister… More
Up until 1970, the Australian government took it upon themselves to take "half-castes (the Australian term for mixed Aboriginal/Caucasian children) from their homes in sanctioned kidnappings, in a midguided attempt to "civilize" them. There was also a more sinister reason -- to "breed the black" out of them, and to train them as servants and laborers. Many of these children never saw their families again. These children are now known as "The Stolen Generation". This film is the true story of three young girls who experience this fate, only to escape and travel 1200 miles through the Outback ON FOOT back to their village, with the police in hot pursuit. At times heartbreaking, anger-provoking and uplifting, the mind reels at the difficulties these children -- aged 8, 11 and 14 -- must have faced on their journey. But I'm sure they believed it was nothing compared to what they faced back at the compound -- poor living conditions in dormitories not much more than huts and packed with other children, abusive caretakers, rigid rules and physical discipline for any infractions, and basically treatment not much above animals. The trip the girls make after their capture -- locked in a cage in the cargo hold of a train -- vividly demonstrates that fact, and is painful to watch. And when they escape, they are pursued by "Tracker", a man on a horse with hunting dogs. The three children in the lead roles are entirely convincing, and I just wanted to pick them up and take them to their mother myself. The only reasons I didn't give this film five stars are that it moves rather slowly at times, and Kenneth Branagh was distracting to me as the only recognizable actor in a sea of (at least to me) unknowns. I defy anyone to watch this film and not be moved by it. Oh, and "rabbit-proof fence" is just what it says -- a fence to keep out rabbits. It however plays a major role in the film.
Wahida K

A daring escape. An epic journey. The true story of 3 girls who walked 1500 miles to find their way home.
Bruce B

One of the best films I have seen this month and it ranks up there with some of the best films I have seen lifetime. This is about the 1930 time frame when Aboriginal boys and girls were taken away from there parents if the were have breeds, part white part Aboriginal. This is a true… More
One of the best films I have seen this month and it ranks up there with some of the best films I have seen lifetime. This is about the 1930 time frame when Aboriginal boys and girls were taken away from there parents if the were have breeds, part white part Aboriginal. This is a true story about a 13 year old girl with her cousin 11 and sister 8, who trek across Australia after being taken from their parents and put in a White Training School, more like a prison camp. They escape and trek 1500 miles back home. The ending is the coolest where the real people make a cameo appearance. This didn't get the play time in America that it should have. 5 Stars nothing less.
Leigh R

Heartbreaking... this just makes me so mad about what they did. Poor Stolen Generation...
Dan S

A great, heart felt film dealing with a persecuted people and how they battled their troubles. A great, great story, with a moving ending.
Curtis L

Cool film showing the power of determination for loved ones.
danny d

really fascinating, based on the realities of life for many in austrailia not so long ago, independant but well done
Dean M

An extraordinary true drama story of three 1930s Aboriginal girls who are taken from families, then they trek across the outback on their home.
Luke B

Well made. Impressive and obviously put together by a talented crew. However there just isn't enough substance to keep my attention. Very dull.
Lanning :

A powerful true story about suffering under and coping with the arrogance of imperialism. But not executed well enough to maintain intensity for a full-length movie.
Cinema F

From the earliest years of European settlement in Australia, there is evidence of Aboriginal children being taken from their families as the authorities believed it was for their own good. In the first half of the 20th century, it was official policy in most states to remove half or… More
From the earliest years of European settlement in Australia, there is evidence of Aboriginal children being taken from their families as the authorities believed it was for their own good. In the first half of the 20th century, it was official policy in most states to remove half or quarter caste Aboriginal children. This movie is the true story of Doris Pilkington Garimara's mother Molly, who in 1931 led her two sisters on a 1,600 kilometre walk across remote Western Australia. At their tender age, they escaped the confinement of a government institution for Aboriginal children removed from their families. Barefoot, without provisions or maps, tracked by Native police and search planes, the girls followed the rabbit-proof fence, knowing it would lead them home. It's one of my favourites.
Sylvester K

Depends on how you view it, it can a film about racism or a film about staying together and finding way home. The realistic portrayal can be disturbing to some people but are the ultimate truth of what the British people were thinking- Eugenics in a wrong way. Aboriginal people are… More
Depends on how you view it, it can a film about racism or a film about staying together and finding way home. The realistic portrayal can be disturbing to some people but are the ultimate truth of what the British people were thinking- Eugenics in a wrong way. Aboriginal people are shown to have strong willpower and stamina thanks to the director. It's a controversial film based on the true story.
Noah N

'Rabbit-Proof Fence' (2002) is a beautiful true story which keeps audience amused thought most of the film.
Sarah B

Ultimately unsatisfying, misguided and pointless, but an intriguing film about the aboriginal way of life none the less.
Ina S

The astonishing - and true - story and the compelling performances especially by the young actresses, plus the simple yet effective visuals and storytelling, make this a great film. Absolutely remarkable and very moving, in spite of some little flaws here and there.
FanGirl B

The heartwrenching story of the unbelievably horrid treatment of the Aboriginies in Australia. A well made movie with solid acting and a very important story.
Eduardo C

A typically structured screenplay is turned into an incredibly powerful film by amazing direction, photography and the heartbreaking performances of the lead children. What happens to them is truly heartwrenching, and that it went on up until the other day is absolutely infuriating.… More
A typically structured screenplay is turned into an incredibly powerful film by amazing direction, photography and the heartbreaking performances of the lead children. What happens to them is truly heartwrenching, and that it went on up until the other day is absolutely infuriating. The script keeps it from being a truly great film, but this is definitely a must see piece of work regardless.