Set in Australia and Viet Nam, “Sapphire” is based on the true story of four aboriginal Australian women. This movie combines music, humor, and history. Although, at times, it is overly sentimental, the director and the cast, in my opinion, do a good job in telling this story.
The history of the treatment of the native indigenous people of Australian is similar in many ways to the treatment of blacks and Native Americans in our country. Looked down upon by the people and the government of Australian late into the 1960s, these attitude form the back story of these four women. The screen play was co-written by the son of one of these women.
The four sisters, in real life they were cousins, have great singing voices. They enter a local talent contest in their home town and meet a slick, music agent portrayed by a funny Chris O’Dowd. After transforming them into a rock-n-roll group, he gets them a contract to sing for the troops in Viet Nam. Each girl has her own story, as well as the history the girls all share. As they travel from camp to camp, more is revealed about these women.
If you’re interested in this subject, “Rabbit-Proof Fences, which was made several years ago, gives an historical accurate and dramatic picture of the life of the native indigenous peoples of Australia.