Wolfram – Warwick Thornton’s Latest Must See Movie

91

Wolfram marks Warwick Thornton’s return to the Central Desert. Set in 1932 and drawn from real family history, the film strips the outback western right back to its bones. The story follows brothers Max and Kid, stuck working the wolfram (tungsten) mines for a brutal boss, Billy. When he dies suddenly, everything falls apart. Two outlaws, Frank and Casey, kidnap Max. Kid, the younger brother, heads after them — not willing to leave his brother behind, no matter the cost. Kid finds a donkey, and the relationship is most endearing. The film becomes a chase across the desert, with danger never far behind. Thornton builds the themes of cause and effect, and chance

But Wolfram isn’t really about the chase. It’s about control — who has it, who loses it, and how hard it is to escape systems designed to keep people trapped. The desert feels wide open, almost promising freedom, but Thornton never lets you forget how quickly that freedom can disappear.

One of the film’s strengths is the way it brings different histories into the same frame without smoothing over their tensions. Along the way, the brothers reconnect with Philomac, now older and trapped in forced labour — and later find brief refuge with Chinese miners Shi and Jimmi. These encounters quietly underline how exploitation cuts across communities, and how moments of solidarity can exist even in deeply unequal systems. Emotionally, everything circles back to Pansy, played with aching restraint by Deborah Mailman. She’s a mother waiting for children taken from her. She grounds the film’s bigger themes in raw, personal emotion. Her longing becomes the heartbeat of the story, showing that the harm of colonialism isn’t just historical, but lived and ongoing. The rest of the cast adds depth without ever overshadowing her.

Moving between English, Arrernte and Mandarin, Wolfram opens up its story through many voices. Like Thornton’s best work, it doesn’t explain itself too much or smooth things over. It just sits with the tension — between hope and inevitability, love and loss, escape and being chased.

Lean, gritty and quietly devastating, Wolfram feels less like a traditional western and more like a reckoning — a film about holding on to family and dignity in a world that keeps trying to grind both away.

“This is a compelling viewing and very well produced. It has all the elements of one of the great classics, which is the signature style Warwick Thornton brings to the screen. This movie has a really impactful and compelling story, and it brings to light history that has not been told until now. This is a brilliant production – The young actors gave outstanding performances, and I loved the donkey.”… Jacquie Walker

Reviewed by Jacquie Walker – Editor, Conscious Living New Earth News

Wolfram screens from April 30 at Luna Leederville and Luna on SX.