Director
Rachel Perkins

Cast
Father: Paul Kelly
Mother: Kaarin Fairfax
Child: Memphis Kelly
Albert: Kelton Pell
Albert's wife: Ruby Hunter
Allman: David Field
Sargeant: Chris Haywood

Set in the Australian outback in the 1930s, this is a charming and moving musical drama, based on the true story of a missing girl and the aboriginal tracker (named Riley originally, but called Albert here) employed to find her. (Riley's grandson subsequently made a documentary about these events, Black River, upon which One Night the Moon is based.)

The action begins as the young girl is put to bed but is unable to sleep because the light from the moon is so bright. She then climbs out of her bedroom window and vanishes into the shadows.

Having discovered her absence, her parents search for her frantically, but at first light call in the police, who offer the services of their best tracker, Albert. The girl's father however, takes exception to the fact that he is aboriginal with the damning retort 'No black fella is going to set foot on my land', and instead organises a line search consisting of white locals, thereby effectively obliterating any trace of his daughter. The girl's mother is unhappy about Albert's exclusion however, and in an attempt to reconcile the loss of her daughter, goes to find him...

This is a touching musical drama which examines the racial tensions of 1930s Australia, and, by extension, the legacy of British imperialism. This is perhaps most fittingly illustrated by one of the film's opening songs, in which the father sings 'This land is mine', while Albert sings 'This land is me'.

Don't be put off by the fact that the dialogue takes the form of song either. It may be initially surprising, but the use of music throughout adds a degree of pathos which speech alone would have difficulty conveying, making this an unusual and evocative piece of modern Australian cinema.