‘Wolfram’ Review: Warwick Thornton’s ‘Sweet Country’ Follow-Up Is Just as Ravishingly Bleak

Nine years since Warwick Thornton‘s ravishingly bleak colonial-era Western “Sweet Country,” the Aboriginal Australian director is back with its follow-up, “Wolfram.” It’s another compelling slow-burn, set in the early 1930s, that follows two heartless “whitefella” outsiders who ride into the fictional town of Henry, forcing a charismatic “half-breed” man and two adorable and resourceful Aboriginal child miners, to unify and fend for themselves — even as they wonder about the woman who has abandoned them. In Thornton’s cinematic universe, based on actual history, indigenous people can be “claimed” by whites by a mere gunshot, who then use them to mine the plentiful tungsten ore, also known as wolfram, from Central Australia’s Aboriginal ground. 
 
Thornton, doubling as a cinematographer, directs from a script by co-writers Steven McGregor and David Tranter. It threads a story honoring Tranter’s Alyawarre tribal roots and maternal ancestors as well as his Chinese-Australian heritage. Fans of “Sweet Country” will note with varying jubilation the return of characters Mick Kennedy (Thomas M. Wright), a spineless but not heartless lease owner; Archie (Gibson John) who steals Kennedy’s meat; and said “half-breed” Philomac (Pedrea Jackson), who has grown wiser in the past five years but still addresses his father as “boss.” 
 
Structured loosely around the impact of the arrival of outlaws Casey (Erroll Shand) and Frank (Joe Bird), “Wolfram” is a small story set in misleadingly expansive terrain. Casey, a Norman-Reedus-brooder-type with sharp instincts and a semblance of social manners that probably have saved his hide in previous travels, makes for a ruthless villain. New Zealand actor Shand shades him with welcome nuance. Casey sees that Kennedy isn’t quite all entirely “there,” that he is perhaps still undergoing PTSD from the events of “Sweet Country,” and takes advantage of this weakness. He and Frank have just “claimed” one of the child siblings, Max (Hazel May Jackson), after Max strayed too far away from his owner, a tungsten lessee named Billy, who dies of snakebite in the movie’s opening minutes. Neither the outlaws nor Kennedy and Philomac realize that Kid (Eli Hart), temporarily freed of his boss, is on the hunt for his sibling, riding his faithful donkey and with a few tricks up his sleeve. A random atrocity brings Philomac together with Kid and Max, setting off a fairly thrilling chase that reveals the surprising true colors of certain old-timer and new-timer townsfolk.  
 
The spiritual subterrain of “Wolfram” is occupied by Pansy, portrayed with immense resilience by leading Australian Indigenous actor Deborah Mailman. Along with her Chinese partner Shi (Ferdinand Huang), she’s on a journey whose goalposts are frustratingly vague. When we first meet her, she’s cutting her hair with a knife. It’s an act of dignity and self-preservation, but why? On her way out of Henry, she stops by and looks longingly at Kennedy’s cabin from a distance, resolved to return. She keeps leaving behind little trinkets she’s fashioned, which Kid not so coincidentally discovers on his mission to find Max. The mapping of kin becomes evident and perhaps convoluted midway as subtle signifiers of violence float in. 
 
The joy of the chase is partly reflected in the happy-go-lucky nature of the siblings, who don’t shy away from danger and who aren’t yet jaded by being indentured labor. Matching Casey and Frank’s guile is Philomac’s untested self-confidence. Thornton does well to mine Philomac as a character, as he’s the only one who readily perceives villainy, initiates squabbles, and recognizes the siblings’ sorrow. Late in the film, when Philomac, Kid, and Max encounter an unexpected set of outsiders, the steeliness of “Wolfram” surfaces. Otherwise, Thornton’s vision for an atmospheric western is somewhat drawn back by a competing underwritten story drive involving familial reconciliation. 
 
Thus, there is a ceiling to the overall danger, in addition to coincidences and a lack of specificity regarding the allegiance between the First Nations tribes living on the outskirts of Henry and the enslaved English-speaking Aboriginal characters. Without giving away too much, folks are separated and found too easily, making one wonder about the scope of characters’ journeys vis-à-vis the geographical spread around Henry. 

It’s not a liability, though, that Thornton wants to please the audience on occasion, even as he superbly handles the demise of certain background tribal characters, suggesting the violence indirectly by refraining from showing entire bodies. By contrast, the one “whitefella” death he drags out over several minutes is not for the sake of gleeful revenge. It lands with gravitas and yields unexpected character dividends. If only the narrative functioned otherwise more conventionally, at least as thrill, tragedy, and catharsis go. Or at least you might find you wish it did. 
 
Eerie percussionist warbles, silhouetted donkey-back protagonists, and other masterful production values conjure a deeply realized visual and aural landscape. “Wolfram” is welcome in a global cinematic canon that clearly lacks Aboriginal histories told by their own indigenous storytellers. “Rabbit-Proof Fence,” from 2002, offered a similar storyline of Aboriginal children on the run, albeit as directed by white filmmaker Phillip Noyce. Period films set in the Southern Hemisphere — like “The Settlers,” set in Chile and Argentina, and “The Lost City of Z,” set in Brazil — are vital to expand our understanding of the full spectrum of colonialism’s tactics. 
 
But bloodthirsty violence isn’t all that’s needed to get there. Thornton’s latest work has the potential to reach more audiences precisely because of the Huckleberry Finn-like spirit of its Kid and Max saga, giving more folks the opportunity to learn about colonialist histories and indigenous resistances in the lands down under. 

Grade: B-

“Wolfram” premiered at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

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