High Ground

what is a key idea form the massacre scene?

All of the first nations individuals are shot from the back, while baywarra is shot from the front

This illustrates Bayar indigenous resistance and unyielding defiance

what can be said about Travis’s POV shot?

It shows the colonial gaze and how the Yolngu mob I'm not viewed as individuals but rather threats

It shows Travis's internal conflict and how he is trapped inside an apparatus of colonial control

What can be said about the two first Nations individuals being commanded to go on their knees?

This scene highlights the superficial stance of machismo and control, paired with the inverted camera angle which evinces the corruption and distortion caused by colonial forces

What can be said about the animals and landscape?

Certain animals like flies and birds perform as ecological motives which convey how country and animals reject the presence of these colonial infiltrators - alienating them from the native landscape

What can be said about the clashing of non-digetic and diegetic sound in the film?

The clash between the non-dig genetic sound of tribal singing with the diegetic sound of gunshots from the colonises performs as an acoustic rupture, which ultimately disrupts the ecological and spiritual balance

what can be said about Dharppas law?

That Dharpas law is holistic and intrinsically connected.

what are some sentence starters for the body?

Though both imperfect…

These values are epitomised when/by…

The pattern that emerges from these examples is…

Central to the narrative is the concept of…

What are some analytical verbs that should be integrated into your writing?

Subvert - to undermine

Evince - to reveal or show clearly

Pontificate - speaks grandly of

Embellishes

Magnifies

Personifies

Underscores

Denaturalise — to reveal that something perceived as normal or inevitable is socially constructed.

Instrumentalise — to use someone as a means to achieve an objective.

Distils - to make something more clear

How should you end your text analysis?

In its final haunting moments, the film, ‘High Ground’…As such, Johnson…

further greater impact on socitey and culture traditions etc

what has been learnt and does it reflect

How to start text anal

Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s, 2020, neo-western film ‘High Ground’, portrays the years of conflict during the Australian Frontier war era and decades of unjustified systemic discrimination towards the first nations people. Throughout the film…

what can be said about epistemic injustice

Eddys quote “what have you done?'“ to travis after dharpa finalises his ceremonial dance and how the ancestral law is mocked upon and marginalised via colonial institutions. Ultimately, the scene invites audiences to reconsider whose understanding of law and justice is recognised as legitimate within a society structured by unequal power relations.

terms to describe the war

assymertic frontier warefare

contested belongings

colonial subjugation

what can be said about baywarras teaching methods?

Baywarra reveals the meaning of his and gutjuks name to the audience before demonstrating its paired cultural dance giving it a corporeal significance. this scene ties through with baywarras deprivation of individual agency of becoming “the greatest teacher” , which he lost to his anger and violence.

what can be said about gutjuk throwing the bullets into the fire pit?

The destruction of the bullets foreshadows Gutjuk's eventual decision to abandon his bandolier and ride away with Gulwirri. The film's ending reinforces his rejection of a conflict that appears to offer no resolution.

what can be interpreted from the Birds Eye views or long shots?

The long-shots are not capturing simple wide expansive landscapes but rather nature and ecology’s autonomous participation in the films as the bird which spectates or monitors travis and gutjuks every move.

almost like a second eye-witness for the Yolngu mob

how is Tommy treated as a transaction?

Moran transforms Tommy's involvement into a transaction. He is willing to offer resources to the mission in exchange for cooperation, treating Tommy's participation as something that can be negotiated for institutional benefit.

With Claire: Moran exploits the mission’s need for resources, offering financial assistance in exchange for Tommy’s cooperation - materialising her approval by rebuilding the church

With Travis: Moran exploits his psychological vulnerability, using his guilt to secure his participation in the manhunt.

“I feel like shooting you both right now”

Overall: Moran transforms cooperation into a transaction, manipulating either material needs or personal vulnerabilities to advance colonial authority.

what can be said about gutjuks mockery of a translation for Moran?

Through Gutjuk’s deliberately mocking translation of Moran’s assertion of authority, “See the shiny thing on his hat? Makes him think he’s boss”, Johnson undermines the perceived legitimacy of colonial power. By reducing the British Crown, a symbol of imperial authority, to a trivial “shiny thing”, Gutjuk exposes the arbitrary nature of Moran’s assumed superiority and challenges the belief that colonial authority is inherently deserving of obedience. Furthermore, Johnson positions language as a means of resistance, as Gutjuk exploits his role as an interpreter to subvert Moran’s control over the negotiations. Ultimately, this moment exposes the fundamental incompatibility between Moran’s belief in the authority of British law and Dharrpa’s understanding of law as an ancestral responsibility grounded in Country.