My Uncle Bluey

Australian director Britt Arthur has an uncle, Robert, whom she has never met, and whom her family refuses to discuss. He left the family farm 30 years ago after endless arguments and alcohol-related problems. She decides to make a film about him, but then word arrives that Uncle Robert has died. Undeterred, Britt travels with her father more than 1,000 miles to the funeral, where she meets the new family of Uncle "Bluey." It turns out that he was a much-loved and respected member of the aborigine community, and this discovery allows Britt's father and grandfather to revive affectionate memories of Robert. Britt shows us that holding onto resentful feelings can be a pitiful waste of time. In voice-over, she relates her perspective on the situation. Interviews with her grandfather, her father, and Bluey's aborigine "family" bring the photos of her uncle to life, so that his constant presence in this film, the distant silhouette against a shadowy background, comes a little more sharply into focus. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)