Writer/Director: Manuela Alberti Producers: Lynda House and Jim Stark Director of Photography: Geoffrey Hall A.C.S. Editor: Ken Sallows Cultural Attache: Ken Saunders Starring: Tomasso - Fabrizio Bentivoglio Willie - David Ngoombujarra Sutherland - John Moore Susan - Rebecca Frith

"The Missing" is the feature debut of Manuela Alberti, who previously made acclaimed documentaries "Fenech - Fighter" and "Facing the Music - Lyndall Hendrickson's Way". In "The Missing" she explores the life of a Vatican City Cardinal, Tomasso (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) who has lost touch with humanity and himself. He is drawn back to his past and into his dreams by a call from his deserted Australian lover, Susan, who says their daughter has disappeared.

Guided by Willie, an Aboriginal tribesman, played by David Ngoombujarra of "Blackfellas", Tomasso embarks on a search for the girl. He is caught between white law, the Church and the powerful Aboriginal culture that challenges his every belief.

It is Tomasso's story - his journey, but it also opens up a world of Aboriginal culture that I know little about. So much so, that I couldn't be completely comfortable with the film, not knowing how true to the culture it was. This was particularly apparent when during the film, the Kurdaitcha Man appears, who is a spirit that people see before dying.

Using such strong sacred imagery could have been very dodgy, but director Alberti enlisted the support of Ken Saunders, who is an elder based at the Mirimbiac Nations Aboriginal Corporation in Melbourne and he worked as Cultural Attache for the film. He would cleanse the cast and make sure they were alright after doing certain scenes, especially those involving the Kurdaitcha Man, played by Edgar Harris Jnr.

Director of Photography, Geoffrey Hall caught on camera the powerful image of the outback, and for a white city-dweller, a sense of how huge and unknown it is, but how it can also be your saviour.

I remained a little uncertain of how much Tomasso learned from his experience, but even Alberti admits that more questions were asked than resolved during the film. His ex-lover, Susan, played by Rebecca Frith, was a role that was disappointingly unexplored. After all, she had had a child to a man that ran off to become a Vatican priest.

David Ngoombujarra's performance is most outstanding as Willie, and "The Missing" is worth seeing for the challenges it presents to its viewers. It is not always a comfortable film to watch, but I think Manuela Alberti has written and directed a brave film that dares to ask questions ignored by other established filmmakers.

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