The Song Keepers

The Song Keepers is a captivating 2017 documentary that follows a unique choir hailing from Central Australia. The film boasts memorable performances from Morris Stuart, a charismatic conductor, and singers like Robert Borgas and Judy Brumby, who collectively represent just some of the 'Song Keepers', a choir comprising Aboriginal women from Central Australia. The narrative is interspersed with the ethereal voices of these women as we delve deep into their lives, their community, and the journey they undertake to preserve and perform an essentially uncommon and largely unsung collection of Baroque hymns.

Morris Stuart, an eccentric African-American musician, functions as both a character and a catalyst in this story. As the group's conductor, Morris's connection to the choir is deeper than music; he is intrinsically linked to the Aboriginal community's historical and spiritual journey. Under his guidance, the choir diligently transforms ancient German hymns, once brought to their ancestral land by Lutheran missionaries, into their Indigenous languages. Stuart's endeavours reshape these melodies and turn them into unique sound harmonies that integrate the rich cultural influence of Aboriginal languages with an otherwise Western musical lineage.

The stars of the show, however, are beyond a doubt, the women of the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir, significantly inclusive community figures such as Robert Borgas and Judy Brumby. Their strength, perseverance, and dedication shine through the lens, stimulating admiration and empathy in equal parts. Not only do these women face the task of preserving old languages and hymns in the face of rapid globalization, but they also carry the weighty torch of a poignant cultural and generational inheritance. The women's voices, steeped in histories, oscillate between grief and hope - embracing robust cultural roots yet adapting to the ever-changing contemporary landscape.

Through each note of a hymn and every chortle of camaraderie, the audience is treated to a rarity - a choir that's not merely a musical entity, but a vessel preserving a treasured cultural legacy in The Song Keepers. The hymns, lost in their land of origin in Germany, remain alive and blossom in the red desert of Australia, fostering connections between cultures, between histories, and ultimately, between hearts.

Director and producer, Naina Sen's deft expertise transcends beyond the technicalities of documentary filmmaking. Sen ensures that The Song Keepers is an accurate, warm, and sensitive portrayal of a group of inspirational women. The film possesses a universality in its narrative; notwithstanding the specificity of the choir’s music and history, its themes of cultural preservation, unity, change, and adaptability resonate comprehensively.

The landscape is as much a character in the narrative as the choir members, providing strikingly beautiful panoramic visuals of the red earth, vast skies, and isolated communities. The stark contrast between the central Australian outback and the European cities they later visit is portrayed in an incredibly picturesque manner, visually diagramming the choir’s journey from their personal landscapes into the broader world.

Equally touching are the personal stories of the choir members, their laughter, their banter, their struggles, and their indomitable spirits. The narrative is imbued with their personal histories, adding emotive depth to their music. These individual narratives work synergistically with the larger story of cultural preservation and create a moving testament to the resilience of the human spirit against the odds.

The Song Keepers doesn’t shy away from addressing past traumas either, the shadow of colonialism that brought these hymns, but it focuses on how these women have taken the remnants of this past and transformed it into something of their own - a process of healing, a bridge between cultures, and a celebration of their survival.

Overall, The Song Keepers is a captivating, uplifting, and hauntingly beautiful movie. It is a film about passion for music, for heritage, but more than anything, it is a film about strength. It is an ode to the power of music and the resilience of culture, making the Song Keepers a must-watch for all lovers of music and history.