Why This Film Matters
Every once in a while, a film comes along that doesn’t just tell a story — it unsettles you, sits in your chest, and refuses to let go.
Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s High Ground is one of those films. It’s not simply a historical drama; it’s a cinematic reckoning. Through a blend of non‑linear storytelling, stark symbolism, and a landscape that feels like its own character, the film drags Australia’s violent colonial past out of the shadows and into the burning light of truth.
At its core, High Ground asks a deceptively simple question:
How do you share a country when history itself remains contested, denied, or silenced?
To explore this question, the film weaves together ideas of power, trauma, justice, and identity — and it’s these themes that become the lifeblood of any VCE text‑response essay.
So let’s break them down.
Themes, Big Ideas, and Johnson’s Values
Power & Control
Colonial authority dominates the film: settlers seize land, enforce their laws, rewrite history, and weaponise violence to maintain dominance. Those with the literal “high ground” believe they hold the moral high ground — a belief the film steadily dismantles. Johnson rejects sanitised versions of the past and champions Indigenous sovereignty and truth-telling.
Grief & Trauma
The opening massacre isn’t just an event — it becomes the emotional anchor of the film. Intergenerational trauma, dispossession, cultural loss, and survivor’s guilt shape characters’ identities and choices. Johnson insists that Australia must confront this history honestly if healing is ever going to occur.
Justice
Western “justice” in the film protects settlers and criminalises Indigenous people. Through contrasts between colonial law and Yolngu law (Makarrata), the film shows justice as something that cannot exist without truth-telling, cultural respect, and accountability.
Colonisation
Massacre, dispossession, cultural erasure — these aren’t background details but the central reality of the film’s world. Johnson exposes terra nullius as fiction and foregrounds Indigenous connection to Country as sacred, ancient, and enduring.
Morality, Loyalty, Violence, Identity…
High Ground refuses black‑and‑white morality. Characters make painful choices shaped by culture, survival, and trauma. Identity and belonging hinge on land, heritage, and story — and violence continues to flourish when truth is suppressed.
These themes intertwine throughout the film, and Johnson’s values — truth‑telling, cultural respect, the rejection of oppressive power, and the necessity of reconciliation — pulse beneath every scene.
Structure & Symbolism: How the Film Says What It Says
Non‑Linear, Cyclical Narrative
The film begins with the massacre and constantly circles back to it. This narrative structure forces audiences to carry the trauma throughout the story rather than treating violence as a climactic twist.
Key Symbols & Motifs
The “High Ground”
The central metaphor — literal, moral, political. Who claims authority? Who actually deserves it?
Country and Landscape
A character in its own right — spiritually alive for Indigenous people, territorially ripe for the colonisers.
Birds (especially the hawk)
Freedom, spiritual presence, ancestral guidance. Gutjuk’s identity is intrinsically tied to this imagery.
Light vs Dark
Truth versus secrecy; morality versus corruption; history versus denial.
Guns and Weapons
Colonial technology vs. Indigenous tradition; violence as communication.
Cameras & Photographs
Historical distortion — colonisers controlling what is seen, preserved, and erased.
Silence
The unspoken trauma, the erasure of Indigenous voices, and the weight of what history refuses to record.
When you write an essay, these symbolic details are the “HOW” of your analysis — the evidence that elevates your interpretation.
How to Plan, Structure & Write a VCE Text Response on High Ground
1. Understand the Prompt Type
Prompts will generally be:
- Discuss
- To what extent / Do you agree?
- How does Johnson…? (construction-focused)
Identify:
- focus words
- theme(s)
- what the prompt requires you to do
2. Brainstorm
List:
- linked ideas
- tensions (e.g., justice vs revenge)
- perspectives (coloniser vs Indigenous)
- moments, symbols, techniques
Group them into 3 paragraphs.
3. Write a Clear Introduction
Your intro needs:
- Context link (film, director, setting, era)
- Contention (your direct answer to the prompt)
- Three arguments (your paragraph ideas)
Keep it clean and conceptual — no characters, scenes, symbols yet.
4. Paragraph Structure (the reliable method)
Each body paragraph follows:
Topic Sentence
State the idea, NOT an event. Must link back to prompt.
(No evidence yet!)
Clarify
Explain the idea in more depth — Johnson’s perspective, cultural tension, thematic meaning.
Evidence
Include:
- specific moment(s)
- symbolism
- structural features (narrative, cinematography, sound)
- relevant quotes
Analysis
Explain how your evidence supports the idea and connects to Johnson’s views and values.
Link sentence
Return to the prompt or your contention.
5. Conclusion
Short, sharp, and thematic.
Not a summary — a final statement about Johnson’s message, relevance, and the implications of the prompt.
Putting It All Together
To write a strong VCE essay on High Ground:
- Know the themes intimately
- Understand Johnson’s agenda (truth‑telling, Indigenous sovereignty, trauma, reconciliation)
- Weave in symbolism and structure
- Keep paragraphs conceptual and analytical
- Stay laser‑focused on the prompt
If you can combine clear argumentation with an understanding of the film’s emotional and political weight, you’re on your way to a high‑scoring response.
High Ground is a complex and harrowing film which Johnson has intentionally created to allow a voice for the truth to be heard. We feel uncomfortable watching it, but it’s because he wants us to feel that way.
Hopefully this will help with your understanding of those key ideas and ways to work your way through a prompt and structure an effective response for success in this area of study.
Ronnie 🙂
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