I missed seeing The Last Daughter at MSPIFF even though it’s one of the 15 documentaries I featured in this post. But thanks to a chance meeting with the co-director of the film, Nathaniel Schmidt during the festival, I was able to watch the documentary via an online screener.

This is quite a unique film in that the subject matter, Brenda Matthews, co-directed this film about her personal, heart-rending journey about identity and reconciliation. Perhaps you might have heard of the term ‘the stolen generation,’ which refers to the Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families/communities by Australian governments, churches, and government bodies between 1910 and 1970s in an effort to assimilate them into the white communities.

Brenda Matthews

That’s exactly what happened to Brenda, who’s ripped apart from her family not once, but twice. The first was her original Wiradjuri family where she grew up with six other siblings until the age of two, and the second was the white foster family who raised her until she was seven. We hear most of the story directly from Brenda herself… there’s a quiet grace and calmness about her but an obvious sadness in her eyes and in her voice as she recalls the traumatizing moments that affected her personal identity and understanding of her past.

Brenda and her husband Mark Matthews

This film serves as a visualization of Brenda’s memoir of the same name recounting her journey of finding her former foster family and bringing her two families together. It’s an emotionally charged and wonderfully crafted documentary that goes beyond a series of talking heads, as there’s a bit of a detective story as Brenda and her husband Mark Matthews search for her long-lost foster family.

The interviews were well set up and enjoyable to watch… listening to Brenda and Mark, her Aboriginal mother (Nana Brenda), plus her former foster parents Connie and Mac provide insights into how this horrible policy deeply affects the children as well as the parents of both sides. At one point, Mac said he felt he was the villain as he deprived someone of her child, but the foster families were being lied to as well by the government, as they were informed that the Indigenous parents like Brenda’s were neglectful. What the government agencies did was so despicable–Brenda and her siblings were torn apart from their parents all on the same day without warning.

Nana Brenda

One thing that really infuriates me is the fact that Brenda was removed from her Aboriginal parents in 1973, 4 years after the Aborigines Protection Act was repealed in New South Wales, she and her siblings are not entitled to compensation given to survivors as their removal falls outside the legal definition. It’s just another example of gross injustice done to indigenous communities–but Brenda is ever so gracious as she said that the reconciliation of her two families is something no amount of money can buy.

Brenda’s foster parents Mac and Connie

Despite the harrowing subject matter, so much hope flows in this story. I was really moved by a scene of Nana Brenda singing a Christian hymn while retelling her heartbreaking story of losing her kids. She and her late husband Gary, a pastor, were traveling the country sharing the Gospel. Clearly, their strong faith helped them through such tough times. This is such an uplifting film that has the power to bring healing to viewers and Brenda herself. I’m so inspired by Brenda’s dignity, kindness, and resilience as she triumphs over adversity and injustice.

To say this is an important film is an understatement. An absolute must-see not just for Australians but every citizen of the world. We all need to see the impact of generational trauma to ensure nothing of the kind will ever happen again. The film had a theatrical release in Australia last year, but I hope it will get a US distribution soon.

What are your thoughts about The Last Daughter?

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