If one of the goals was to remind people that the Outback was, or still is, a rough and unforgiving place then it would appear that this movie nails that point and rams it home as the acting is forceful enough that one can’t help but wonder if the accuracy is just as on point when it comes to the unmitigated danger that was faced by those back in the 19th century on a regular basis. The tale of a woman, the wife of a drover, that had four kids and herself to take care of in the middle of an inhospitable and unforgiving land is one that a lot of people might look at and laugh at as not entirely real. But upon reading the history books and discovering certain truths for themselves, folks might realize that hard times didn’t breed soft people. This movie is just one of many that show that women weren’t people to be looked down upon back in these days since while some women were subservient to survive, others were more than willing to do what it took to pick up a rifle and prove that they had what it took to protect what was theirs.
In other words, there’s really no period in time when women have been weak, no matter if some were submissive for one reason or another. Molly Johnson shatters the image of weak women in a heartbeat since she’s not the type to bow down or even give into those that demand that she simply back down because she’s a woman. If anything, this attitude brings the kind of fire to a movie set that makes things far more interesting and offers up a great balance that reminds us that history is not always as it’s written, and does have more than a few exceptions. One has to imagine being in the middle of an inhospitable land with the need to protect their children, their home, and their own life. That kind of life isn’t for the weak of heart, much as this movie shows.
There’s a great deal more to this story than Molly’s need to stand her ground and do whatever it takes to protect what’s hers, but this is the most dominant theme in the movie, as it should be. The narrative that women were only strong when they had to be in the old days is something that many people have come to accept over the years since the tales of cowboys, rustlers, bad men, and the like that dominated old western stories in North America and in other countries as well. While the stories vary from continent to continent and country to country, the role of women varies as well. But what’s becoming far more popular, thankfully, is the fact that women were far tougher than they were given credit for back in the day. There’s nothing to say that every woman was born to be tough and ready to pick up a weapon and defend themselves and their family and home but to think that any human being doesn’t possess this capacity is foolhardy and dangerously dismissive.
Hard times tend to breed hard people, and discounting anyone due to their gender has always been a mistake since throughout history there have been plenty of women that have shaped their own lives if not the world in some way. Discounting any of them is discounting the history they helped to change and on top of that, it dishonors the idea that women had anything to do with the shaping of the world around them. Molly’s actions are more localized in that she seeks to protect her children and herself, but for this reason, this story is worth watching since just by looking at the trailer it’s kind of obvious that she has no give to her when it comes to defending her family and homestead, and that makes for an intriguing story. The idea of looking past anyone simply because they’re a woman is a fallacy of history that many have made, and as a result, it’s a weakening of the overall narrative of the human experience. Telling the story of strong women is a way to help balance out the world as people know it, and it’s a great way to tell a story that many would feel compelled to watch.
As I mentioned, there are likely many other reasons to watch this movie, but the opportunity to see a strong woman take the lead to a compelling story is something that sparks an interest and will likely attract many people to this movie. Following that, it would appear that this movie has a lot to offer, along with the continued presence of the individual that’s bound to draw people in, to begin with.
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