This is a story of a pair of aboriginal brothers - one a successful screen actor and the other living the half-Westernised world of disenchantment with both cultures. The catastrophic death of the latter's daughter at a popular swimming hole leads the elders to summon home his brother who is the clan law-keeper (Jungaiy) for the crocodile dreaming. To placate their mother's spirit - disturbed when the sacred stone of her clan was cast into the river by the disenchanted son - they must retrieve the stone and return it to its rightful place among the clan ossuary caves. But first they must get past the man-eating croc that is possessed of the enraged spirit.
Students of classical mythology may recognise elements of the Gilgamesh tale here. David Gulpilil's striking presence adds to the alien spirituality of the piece. I'm unsure of how much this story is accurate in terms of traditional aboriginal spirituality - often quite secret and well guarded - but it has the right sort of 'feel' to it and David Gulpilil is on record asserting this as his mother's dreaming.
Students of classical mythology may recognise elements of the Gilgamesh tale here. David Gulpilil's striking presence adds to the alien spirituality of the piece. I'm unsure of how much this story is accurate in terms of traditional aboriginal spirituality - often quite secret and well guarded - but it has the right sort of 'feel' to it and David Gulpilil is on record asserting this as his mother's dreaming.
