Wolfram

Warwick Thornton’s ‘Wolfram’ unfolds in 1932 Central Australia and is the follow-up film to his acclaimed ‘Sweet Country’ (2017). Aboriginal children are forced into “wolfram” (tungsten) mining until violence entangles them with ruthless outlaws. At the heart of the story is Pansy (Deborah Mailman) who is longing for her stolen children. A tightly wrought frontier western rooted in real family history, ‘Wolfram’ sees Aboriginal siblings Max and Kid forced to work in the mines under Billy’s control. When Billy dies suddenly, Max is kidnapped by outlaws Frank and Casey, while Kid refuses to let him go. At Kennedy’s station, the brothers encounter Philomac, the boy from ‘Sweet Country’ (2017), now older and indentured. Brought together by circumstance, the three seize a fragile chance to escape before dawn, pursued by Kennedy and the outlaws in a relentless chase across the desert. Along the way they find temporary refuge with Chinese miners Shi and Jimmi. At the story’s emotional core is Pansy, a mother longing for the return of her lost generation. ‘Wolfram’ is a taut western of kinship, survival and colonial reckoning in the Central Desert.