“The Sapphires” is adapted by first-time director Wayne Blair from the 2004 play of the same name by actor and playwright Tony Briggs (who also co-wrote this screenplay with screenwriter Keith Thompson), who based the work on the true story of his mother and aunt, who traveled to Vietnam to sing for U.S. troops serving in the war during the late 1960s. The film tries to jam as much history and context about the plight of the Aboriginal Australians into the plot as possible (it’s sometimes a bit overwhelming), but those elements are contrasted nicely by the film’s musical numbers, which help lighten the serious themes regarding the unequal rights plaguing the indigenous people of the continent.
But unlike “Dreamgirls” or “Sparkle,” which were most primarily showcases for professional singers like Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, and Jordin Sparks, “The Sapphires” works because of its ensemble nature and focus on the opportunities presented by the arts. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s simultaneously fun and thought-provoking—an all-too-rare occurrence these days.
“The Sapphires” focuses on the relationship between the singers—three sisters Gail (Deborah Mailman), Julie (Jessica Mauboy), and Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell), and their cousin Kay (Shari Sebbins)—and how their desire to make music during a time when the Australian government didn’t even categorize native Australians are humans (just “flora or fauna”) was a primarily uphill battle. Judges at singing competitions ignored their talent. White audiences didn’t care for their renditions of country ballads. It’s only Irish musician and too-hard drinker Dave Lovelace (O’Dowd) who cares for their sound, taking notice of the group and taking them under his wing, dubbing them The Sapphires. He encourages them to switch to singing soul because “90 percent of all recorded music” is trash, whereas that genre is pure, emotional, and affective—and, quite wonderfully, it works.
But there’s still that whole racism and cultural elitism thing (which mirrors what black Americans were going through in the U.S.), and so the only place Lovelace can book the girls is on a tour singing at U.S. military bases during the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, they go; he tags along as their manager; and something romantic starts brewing between him and big-sister Gail. And there’s also something lovey-dovey between Kay, who was taken from their family to be raised by a white family (a practice that went on with Aboriginal children until the early 1970s), and a black pilot. Is it too much to want these girls to have their own happy ending?
But this kind of film wouldn’t be complete with at least some drama or infighting, so there’s Gail’s resentment of Kay passing herself off as white for years, as well as worries about whether the girls are partying too much or not focusing enough on their craft. Those are trivial concerns, however, and don’t overshadow either the film’s strong musical numbers (like of The Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin'”), O’Dowd’s and Mailman’s particularly strong performances, or the overall likeable energy of the film.
Sure, plot threads tie up quite neatly (even when things get dangerous, like a bomb dropping during one of the girls’ performances), and there isn’t as much character development as you would expect from a straight drama. You could even say, given how often we’ve seen this kind of triumph-over-adversity-through-song structure before, that “The Sapphires” very finely walks the line between clichéd and inspirational—but man, does it do the latter well.
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