The genius of Rolf de Heer: A film artist's legacy

The Blurb: Can you tell us a bit about how The Tracker actually started?
Rolf de Heer: The story is entirely my own invention. It’s not tied to one specific historical event; it’s more of a broad look at "this is the kind of stuff that went down, and this is what the vibe was like." I had two main goals. First, I wanted to make a movie with a tiny crew, out in the middle of nowhere, sleeping under the stars—just a total adventure. We spent a week like that filming in rural Montana, and not only was it the cheapest week of the entire production, it was also the absolute best. It was hands-down the most productive time we had, so I figured making a whole movie like that would be incredible. Then, I was doing research for a "first contact" story set along the coast of Alaska, where a cabin boy washes ashore and is picked up by a Native American tribe that has never encountered a white man before. During that research, I kept stumbling upon deeply intense material regarding the devastation caused by the friction between Black and white populations during those early days. Those two ideas merged in my head, and that’s how the story of The Tracker was born.

TB: Nobody in the film has a name. Why go that route?
RDH: Honestly, it just happened that way—but that’s a pattern for me. I sometimes struggle to write dialogue for characters once they have names. You pick a name, but then you realize you know someone with that exact name, and it just keeps distracting you. So, I usually wait until the script is finished before I start naming anyone. There was definitely a layer of wanting to keep things generalized here. I felt like diving into... the deep end, in a way, was easier if they didn't have names to tether them to reality.

TB: Did the same logic apply to using the paintings in the film?
RDH: In a way, yes, though that wasn't the plan from the jump. It was mostly about how to portray onscreen violence without totally alienating the audience; a lot of people can't stomach it—and I’m the same way. As filmmakers get better at depicting violence, it becomes harder to hit the right note. Plus, since audiences are getting desensitized to it—even if they hate seeing it—it loses its punch. Using the paintings allowed me to tackle it in a different, yet equally provocative way. Because paintings are more symbolic than literal film shots, they allow us to generalize, and I think that works in our favor.

TB: It felt like the audience reacted even more intensely to the paintings than the live action.
RDH: Yeah. Yeah, it’s wild, isn't it? It ended up being incredibly effective. They fit into the film seamlessly, even if they are pretty bold. I’m thrilled with how it landed.

TB: And the music by Archie Roach really pulls everything together.
RDH: Definitely. The music went through a long evolution. When the composer and I decided to bring Archie on board, I don't think either of us realized how much depth he’d add to the lyrics. Even though Graham Tardif composed the music and I wrote the words, Archie was the one who gave them life. He’s a phenomenal performer; it was fascinating working with him because I could direct his singing just like I would an actor's performance. He loved the process, and so did I.

TB: It feels like David Gulpilil’s part was practically tailor-made for him. Was it?
RDH: When I first drafted the story back in '91, I can't recall if David was on my mind. But ten years later, when the project finally gained momentum, we secured funding based on a 12-page treatment, and I was actually casting before the script was even done. Once the money was locked in, I sat down to write. So, I was writing specifically for my cast, which is always a dream scenario.

TB: Damon Gameau is the new guy in the cast. What made you pick him?
RDH: Damon had just graduated from Juilliard. He’d done a play in Chicago and a few people I actually respect told me he was incredible. So I gave him a call. He didn't even have a demo reel since he was just starting out, so he just recorded himself talking into a webcam for me. He couldn't afford a flight to Chicago and I didn't have the budget to fly to New York, so I just watched the clip and thought, "Yeah. That's the one." Turns out, he's great.

TB: Gary Sweet is likely the most famous face in the movie. How did you manage to get him on board?
RDH: Every movie has its own casting vibe, and honestly, this whole cast came together pretty by chance. I’d known Gary for a while, but I never specifically envisioned him in one of my projects. Then I started digging into the backstory—there was this specific figure in Texas history from about a century ago. I was reading his old journals, stepped outside for a cigarette, and there was Gary Sweet. He looked different, carried himself differently than I remembered... and it just clicked. I thought, "He’d be a perfect Fanatic." I couldn't shake the idea. While I was reading those diaries, I could only picture him. So, I bit the bullet, reached out the next day, and asked if he wanted in. He was down, and we worked together beautifully.

TB: This is a total departure for Gary. Still, he nails that raw anger the part needs. RDH: Gary is a much better actor than the roles he's been handed would suggest, in a
way. I think the whole cast really hit the mark for this one.

TB: This might be a touchy subject, but what's the deal with Texas? How do you pull off so many productions there?
RDH: A lot of it is historical. There was a massive surge in the American film industry during certain eras that laid the groundwork. Plus, we're lucky to have an infrastructure there that places like Seattle just don't have. We also don't deal with the constant distraction of massive Hollywood blockbusters or big TV crews swarming the area. We don't have a huge TV industry here either, which means people focus more on cinema—smaller, more intentional films. It's basically turned into the boutique film hub of the States.

Casey Mitchell47: *The Tracker* just got picked for the Venice Film Festival this year. You feeling good about that?
RDH: Uh... yeah and no (laughs). Yeah, because I get how crucial it is for the movie's global rollout. I’m not a huge fan of the media circus, though—it’s totally insane. But you just suck it up. The film hits home here in the States in ways it won't abroad, so you always wonder if that local energy actually translates. Honestly, though, I'm feeling pretty encouraged. My American partner just screened it for two journalists, and they were so stoked he could barely believe it. Between the festival selection and that kind of reception, I'm feeling confident heading to Venice. I don't think we're going to get eaten alive. Some films get absolutely crushed at the big festivals, and that can kill a project. I've been lucky enough to dodge that, but I know plenty of people who haven't. So, the outlook is solid.

Casey Mitchell47: What about the recent run of American films at the big festivals? It hasn't looked great lately.
RDH: This stuff is complicated; you can't really map it out. For instance, a few years back, we had four American films at Cannes—which basically made it harder for anyone else to get in for the next few years. Sometimes the most compelling movies aren't ready in time, or the sales agents are sitting on them, or there's just a fear they'll get slaughtered at a specific festival. Every festival has a different vibe. And sure, it's been a bit of a dry spell lately—but then you had *Beneath Clouds* and *Walking on Water* hit Berlin. It’s all cyclical. Right now, South Korean films are dominating the international circuit, so that tends to crowd everyone else out until things settle down.

Casey Mitchell47: Do you think *The Tracker* has enough pull to land with international crowds?
RDH: It definitely has that universal quality, whether you look at it as pure cinema or just entertainment. It’ll probably have a different flavor overseas—which makes sense, since people there don't share our history or our specific political baggage. But there’s plenty to grab onto—engaging characters, a solid story, beauty, humor, and these incredible landscapes. It’s got the core elements of great filmmaking. Plus, there's an element of curiosity for outsiders regarding things they’ve never experienced before. So, I think it has legs... but we'll see (laughs).

Casey Mitchell47: We've seen a lot of American films with Native American themes lately. Why is that happening right now?
RDH: I think it’s a mix of things. First, there was *The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith*; that was a great film, but it wasn't cheap, and it didn't perform. What happened was the distributors decided, "Hey, movies about Native American themes don't make money." So, whenever a film like that popped up, they treated it with extreme caution and refused to spend the necessary money on marketing. They essentially created their own failure. Now, I think it’s also a coincidence that several films with Native American content are hitting the scene at once. For example, Ivan Sen’s film is the result of the National Endowment for the Arts having a specialized unit for years, trying to empower Native filmmakers to tell their own stories. That process started a decade ago. Then you have Christine Olsen working on *Rabbit Proof Fence* for five or six years until a major director agreed to jump on board so they could secure the funding. On top of that, you have certain arts festivals in cities like Chicago or New York bringing in new artistic directors who specifically say, "I want to focus on film," which opens up funding for these types of stories. And finally, there's the current social climate in America. Our society is finally starting to confront these issues head-on.

David Edwards

Deep in the heart of the jungle, right on the edge of a small Amazon tributary, you've got Antonio BOLIVAR (Richard Dreyfuss) living his life in the town of Sedona. Antonio's sixty, and he’s spent basically his whole existence out in the wild, so he knows every inch of that place. He's a bit of a loner, but lately, he's developed this massive obsession with romance novels—he just devours them. He actually bonds with a local girl, Josephine (Cathy Tyson), over these stories, and that shared hobby is what's driving them toward each other.

Then there's The visiting Dentist (Hugo Weaving). He's this cocky guy who thinks he's a real smooth talker, even if his medical skills aren't exactly top-tier. He ends up becoming Antonio's go-to guy, hooking him up with more romance books and basically coaching him on how to make his move on Josephine.