David Gulpilil—co-star of Walkabout and The Last Wave, de rigueur cast member in arty and ambitious movies about the Australian landscape—has one of the most independent screen presences in all of moviedom. Moving with natural confidence, the wiry Aboriginal dancer-turned-actor never gives the impression that he is playing for an audience; instead, it’s up to the camera to figure out what’s going on. He has the kind of arcing guffaw that always makes it sound like he is laughing only to himself.
This air of independence gets put to superb use in Charlie’s Country, the new film from Rolf De Heer, who previously collaborated with Gulpilil on The Tracker and Ten Canoes. Gulpilil, who co-wrote the script with the director, stars as Charlie, a rascally, sixtysomething resident of an Aboriginal reserve in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Read more: Showcase for Aboriginal Actor David Gulpilil by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, June 4, 2016, AV Club
