Firestarter: breathtaking
The documentary about Bangarra Dance Company stopped me in my tracks.
Once there were three brothers who used their bodies to tell the stories of their people.
It could be a dreamtime story, said Wesley Enoch, Sydney Festival Director during Firestarter, the documentary about Bangarra Dance Company and three brothers Stephen, Russell and David Page.
I’m still trying to absorb it all – the heartbreak, the creativity, the joy, the prejudice.
Three boys who overcame the poverty and racism of their upbringing to create one of Australia’s leading artistic companies.
Russell, David and Stephen grew up in a family of 12 in a poor suburb of Brisbane to an Aboriginal father and Maori mother. The family home movie footage used in Firestarter is so evocative you can almost feel the heat and smell the barbeques.
The boys find a way to break free from their hometown through dance and music and in doing so, connect with country and reclaim their culture.
They then bring those stories to the world.
Their creativity and fire are at the heart of the achievements of Bangarra.
Without too many spoilers, the documentary also shows that despite their success and talent, they did not get to outrun their past. The dark undercurrent comes with them, and the three brothers deal with it in very different ways.
Firestarter stopped me in my tracks. I was mesmerised by the dance, the sounds, the fire and the soul of the Page brothers and the incredible troupe of performers they gathered around them.
I haven’t been able to get it out of my head all week. The bond between the three brothers is immense: Stephen directing and creating, David composing and Russell dancing - beautiful, fluid, strong and seamless. They reach out and grabs your heart with every twist and turn.
Firestarter is more than a documentary about a dance company.
It’s about our First Nations people and their fight to have their culture and history recognised.
It’s about the importance of stories and the arts in society.
It’s about the love of brothers and the undertow of family grief and destruction.
It’s mesmerising and essential viewing.
Firestarter is showing on Sunday, July 12 at the Wonthaggi Union Cinema and is also available on ABC iView as part of NAIDOC Week.
