An intimate and compassionate observational documentary from the perspective of a 10-year-old Aboriginal boy in Alice Springs, Australia, struggling to balance his traditional Arrernte/Garrwa upbringing with a state education.
Many years ago I saw a film called “Rabbit-Proof Fence” that’s not surprisingly categorized under Drama/Adventure even though it should be categorized under Racism/Genocide. If you haven’t seen it, it’s literally about white colonizers who strategically created a system designed to wipe out the original blacks in Australia. They built actual camps where they harbored the fairest skin children they stole from families, stripping them from their language and culture then mating them with whites ensuring every drop of their blackness would dissipate without a trace.
“In My Blood It Runs” feels like the follow-up to that film as a young Aboriginal boy clings tightly to his culture while having watching it slowly be stripped from him in every way possible. Tightly bound to his people and native land, DuJuan struggles to integrate into the white educational system where he is not allowed to speak his language, and the history that includes his ancestors is erased from the textbooks. As he rebels, his family is threatened by the system to remove him from his family if he does not behave and conform. This is a powerful story of a boy who is wise beyond his years, and with the support of his family, he is dedicated to ensuring his history lives on while remaining true to his roots. I love this film, it’s powerful, hopeful, and essential viewing, definitely one you need to see.
Premieres Monday, September 21st on PBS Television Series “POV”
