'Here I Am' is driven by three generations of Aboriginal women - Karen Lee Burden, her mother Lois and her daughter Rosie. When Karen is released from prison, through a series of chance encounters the women learn that freedom is hard to find when hearts are still broken.
AustraliaM Australia 
A quiet, often very moving film. Cole has a keen eye, some beautifully composed oppressive images here, with figures imprisoned deep within the frame. It's so exciting to watch a movie visibly made where you live, and Cole makes great use of Adelaide in all its silent but unsettling splendor, especially the Port, easily our most cinematic location (and she would know, she grew up there). Empty moments that force us to just stare at a piece of architecture keep us constantly grounded in the dislocated environment that Karen occupies. However, the film is not an act of wallowing, and its sense of hope and community is its most memorable quality, whether it be an evening backyard singalong, a supportive…
Here I Am is the story of Karen, an indigenous women fresh out of prison, challenged by an unaccommodating world and a strenuous relationship with her mother. She enters a women’s shelter, intent on connecting with her daughter, who she hasn’t seen in two years.
The empathy for Karen and women in her position is heartfelt, but I found much of the film to be lacking in substance. The cinematography, with Warwick Thornton behind the lens, is magnificent, but Beck Cole struggles to fill the frame with affecting content. The relationships between the women in the shelter are well realised, but it is difficult to be completely invested as the performances are questionable, the line delivery a problem.
I really…
women friendships >>>>>
🖤💛💔
Shai Pittman’s Karen Burden is getting out of prison. A few years behind bars has changed her life. Sure, she’s clean, but she’s also lost her daughter and has no work experience. She heads to a women’s shelter to find some stability and get her life back on track. From there, things are going to change, the future will be brighter.
Here I Am is writer/director Beck Cole’s feature film debut, after creating some great documentaries and short films. This powerful film takes a look at three generations of women – Karen Burden, her daughter, and her mother, Lois (Marcia Langton) – and how their lives adjust to Karen being out of prison. This is a story we’ve seen told countless times before, but not from the perspective of indigenous women in Australia. Familiar stories transform into something completely different when told from different perspectives.
That turned out to be exactly what I wanted to see, what I'd hoped it would be. Beautiful, painfully real, a lil bit traumatic, and ultimately hopeful. Wonderful female friendships, great use of music, and some startlingly lovely cinematography which I now realise was because of Warwick Thornton! So so glad I watched that. The acting wasn't always great but the story and the so valuable focus on Indigenous women totally makes up for that. Thank christ for Ozflix making this available to watch.
