agmtw logo
search

Charlie's Country (2013)

Charlie's Country (2013)

7.4

An Aboriginal man tries to return to his roots in this realist and poignant Australian drama

Movie

Australia
English
Drama
2013
imdb
rt
wiki

TLDR

It’s so frustrating how this still resonates today.

What it's about

After his gun, spear, and the bounty of his hunt gets confiscated by the police, Charlie, an Australian Aboriginal man, leaves his urban northern Australian community to return to the old ways his people used to live in.

The take

One’s home country should be the place where a citizen has their rights, but that’s not the case in Charlie's Country. At times, the film seems like a simple, straightforward depiction of an Aboriginal man living in a Westernized society, but David Gulpilil, who stars and who co-wrote the script, subtly infuses his community’s rage towards a system seemingly made for them to fail. While the pacing might be frustrating for some viewers, it’s quite a palpable way to recreate the community’s frustration as they bump against the arbitrary restrictions placed on them, but it also emphasizes how necessary art has become as one of the few ways to preserve their culture. It’s because of this that Charlie’s Country is unforgettable.

What stands out

The slow pacing and the stark scoring can make this film just seem like talking, but David Gulpilil’s performance makes Charlie’s words sound true to the real experience their community faces.

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Anora (2024)

An exciting and heartbreaking fairy tale with a modern, class-centric twist

9.0

My Old Ass (2024)

A pleasant mix of comedy and coming-of-age that may or may not leave you in tears

8.0

Silenced (2011)

A brutal and harrowing exposé of the schoolwide abuse case that sparked outrage in Korea

9.0

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A star-studded and riveting legal drama with a blockbuster feel.

8.1

The Substance (2024)

Demi Moore swaps bodies in this standout chaotic body dysmorphia horror

8.3

Once Were Warriors (1994)

A Maori family survives in an alienating Auckland in this raw, tragic drama

8.0

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Laapataa Ladies (2024)

Two brides are accidentally swapped in this refreshing comedy of errors

8.4

His Three Daughters (2024)

Three sisters deal with life and death in this moving family portrait

8.2

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2025 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.