After fighting in World War I as a sniper, Travis, now a police officer in northern Australia, lost control of an operation that resulted in the massacre of an Australian Aboriginal tribe in 1919. After his superiors insist on burying the truth, Travis leaves disgusted, only to be forced to return twelve years later to hunt down Baywara, an Aboriginal warrior whose attacks on the new settlers are wreaking havoc. When Travis recruits Gutjuk as a tracker, the only known survivor of the massacre, raised on a mission, the truth of the past is revealed and Travis becomes the hunted one. (Wikipedia) 
Impressions
High ground. This title could refer to all shots from heights. Like the eye of a bird, the camera scans, approaches, is interested in mountains, lakes, rivers, magnificent landscapes, a vast nature without apparent borders. She also zooms in on lots of small details, such as ants, dances, colors. And she wants to show us the osmosis of the aborigines with these lands. Their traditions, their customs, their family life. If by magic, we could remove everything related to the scenario, the background could have become a documentary rich in images and sensations. This same visual still feeds a certain ambiguity. These lands, which seem to flourish in appearance without the presence of the human being, are the object of an implacable and limitless covetousness. The feeling of freedom is quickly "encircled" by the presence of the British. High ground is the universal story between the invading people and the invading people. What the Spaniards did in America at the time of the Holy Inquisition. The British with the Zulus or the Indians. The Japanese with the Koreans or without going any further, which is happening now and about which everyone seems to care little, the Chinese towards the Uyghur people. Not to mention what people do to each other for a difference of political opinion or religion. Or race. Based on true events, the film begins with a scene of extreme violence, the wanton massacre of some members of an aboriginal tribe. Snowball, one of the survivors attacks the whites by burning houses and even killing a white woman. The clash of cultures in all its glory, the misunderstanding, thoughts light years apart. 
And then, one of the key scenes that leads us to review the meaning of the title. The chief of the aborigines and the chief of the British on the spot decide to parliament. As an introduction, the aboriginal chief dances in front of the smirking eyes of the whites. Their thoughts can be heard. We find this dance on the verge of ridicule without really knowing what they are getting at. Then it's the Briton's turn. He explains that the crown on his hat represents the king, and that he is empowered to act on his behalf. The young aborigine translates "this thing on his hat makes him feel like a chief". This gives an even more absurd side than the probably ancestral dance we have just witnessed. It is really a scene that represents all the misunderstandings, the missed opportunities to reach an agreement. Namely that the aborigines welcomed the whites with respect, believing that they were their ancestors. High ground is a project that dates back 20 years. He tries to show us a country through sumptuous images, but his story is mostly directed by those who thought they were smarter and more having the right. Those who look down on natives whom they call savages, regardless of their antiquity on earth. The oldest culture we have, as it happens. This title confirms the importance that some human beings give to hierarchy. "I am a commander, so necessarily I am more than you, little savage who knows nothing about it. 
57 years have passed since the filming of the film "Zulu", by Cyril R. Endfield. This film directs us to the belief that the British were right to attack the Zulu people. Even worse. It is not that they want us to believe anything, but rather the certainty on their part that they have done what they had to do. At the end of the film, we are given a summary of the British soldiers who died, the number of dead Zulus obviously not mattering. Those days when the invader was the good guy, when the natives were dangerous savages to annihilate seems to be over. It is always very interesting to revisit very old films to notice how minds evolve. Even if the character, the personality of some of the characters does not seem very delimited, the actors interpret their role in a way as impressive as the generous and lively landscapes. These large spaces that did not ask for anything. High ground could have done without this western and almost Shakespearean side that eclipses the real story. What the director really wants to convey. Extreme violence as important or innocuous as the hunting of the alligator, fishing for a certain dehumanization. It's hard to distinguish if things happened like that or if it's a clumsiness on the part of the director. This film will not leave you indifferent. Already by his photography but especially by this story that seems to repeat itself again and again. It is expressed very clearly "we do not share a country". This radical thinking seems, unfortunately, to have difficulty disintegrating. 
Technical data sheet
Directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson Screenplay by Chris Anastassiades Director of photography Andrew Commis Release date: 23 February 2020 (Berlin) 28 January 2021 (Australia) Duration 104 minutes Country Australia Language: English
distribution
Jacob Junior Nayinggul as Gutjuk Simon Baker as Travis Callan Mulvey as Eddy Jack Thompson as Moran Caren Pistorius as Claire Ryan Corr as Braddock Aaron Pedersen as Walter Sean Mununggurr as Baywara Witiyana Marika as Grandpa Darrpa Esmerelda Marimowa as Gulwirri
