Set on the Upper Sepik River in New Guinea, this film records the day-to-day experiences of Kiap (one-man representative of the Australian government in regional areas) Barry Downes as he patrols an area that in 1963 had only recently been brought under control from headhunters. As well as being a record of the role of the colonial administration, Along the Sepik offers insights into some tribal communities' cultures through depictions of their spirit houses and traditional 'sing sing' ceremonies. Downes investigates a murder, and the culprit is caught and tried by a magistrate in a jungle courthouse under the Australian flag, on the edge of the Sepik River. Australian patrol officers and their men operated under rugged conditions to bring western law and order to this remote area. The film also portrays some of the impact the colonial government had on regional, traditional communities.
Directed by Ian Dunlop
Your score–
Not scoredImages
Related
My Mom Jayne
A Toxic Love Story
The Class of ‘92
S4: The Bob Lazar Story
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Drew: The Man Behind the Poster
Come See Me in the Good Light
Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20
The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
To Kill a Tiger
Voyeur
Sidney
Harry Potter: The Making of Diagon Alley