Sapphires, The

Story

Set in 1968, The Sapphires is based on the true story of four Indigenous Australian singers. Sisters Cynthia, Gail and Julie (Miranda Tapsell, Deborah Mailman and Jessica Mauboy) leave their family in the country after being discovered by Dave Lovelace (Chris O’Dowd). Together with Dave, the girls and their cousin Kay (Shari Sebbens) head for Melbourne to audition for a job entertaining the American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. Calling themselves the Sapphires, they arrive in Saigon. Here they are confronted by the contrast between the vibrant and buzzing city and the surrounding horrors of war.The girls’ talent shines, and they move from performing in bars to performing for the soldiers on various army bases. As they travel through the Vietnamese country side and within combat zones, the girls and Dave all learn about life, love and identity.

Themes

War and death; racism and discrimination; alcohol dependence

Violence

This movie has some violence. For example:

Images of war show bombings and gunfire. Some scenes show bodies of dead soldiers and civilians, as well as damage to buildings, houses and the countryside.
Injured soldiers are shown in hospital beds. Some soldiers have amputations, eye patches and significant injuries.
Gail and Kay have a physical fight. They hit each other across the face. Both end up with cuts on their lips.
Dave and the girls travel through Vietnam without a military escort. They’re stopped by local militias who aim guns at them.
Key events from 1958-1968 are shown. These include JFK’s assassination, boxing matches featuring Lionel Rose and Mohammed Ali and images of war.
Television images show Martin Luther King’s assassination and the resulting riots.
While sitting in helicopters, the girls see the body bags of dead soldiers.

Sexual references

This movie has some sexual references. For example:

A woman is called ‘sweetcheeks’.
Dave tells Gail that the girls’ dresses need to show more ‘cleavage’.
Cynthia often talks about the ‘sexy soldiers’ and implies that she wants to sleep with them.
Julie has a child, although she’s still a teenager.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

This movie shows some use of substances. For example:

Characters often drink alcohol in pubs, bars, home parties and army camps. The girls drink from glasses, and sometimes they swig from bottles. Dave often seems drunk and hung over the next day. After a heavy night of drinking, he agrees to travel with the girls through Vietnam without a military escort. This isn’t what the girls and their families want.
Although drugs aren’t shown, getting ‘stoned’ is mentioned in Saigon and in the army camps.
Many characters are shown smoking.

Nudity and sexual activity

This movie has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

Dave is caught sleeping in his car in his underwear. He then walks from the car to the pub without pants on.
Cynthia lies on a man and kisses him passionately. When he gets up, he does up his zipper.
Girls dance in bikinis in a bar in Saigon.
Dave and Gail kiss passionately.

Product placement

None of concern

Coarse language

This movie has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

The Sapphires is based on the real-life story of four courageous Indigenous Australian women. In an era of significant racial discrimination, they used their singing talents to entertain American soldiers in Vietnam. The movie is entertaining, and the story has a lot for older children to talk about. But there are themes and disturbing scenes that make it unsuitable for younger children under 10-11 years.

The main messages from this movie focus on identity and the importance of family and Indigenous tradition.

For example, all the girls appreciate the closeness of their extended family and learn to understand their role in their group. Gail understands her role as ‘mumma bear’, looking out for her younger siblings and cousin. She realises this is connected to the guilt she carries from her childhood, when she couldn’t protect Kay from being taken away by government officials. Kay has lived in both the indigenous and ‘white’ worlds and has to decide where her heart belongs.

Dave also finds a new sense of identity along the journey. To begin with, he feels that he has failed in his life as a musician and husband. This is why he drinks so much and wastes his life. Gail forces him to confront these ‘failures’, and he realises that there are more important things to work for.

Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include strength, courage and determination.

This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues such as the following:

Discrimination: the sisters and black soldiers in Vietnam face racial discrimination.
Alcoholism: Dave’s excessive drinking puts the girls in a dangerous situation when he agrees to travel without a military escort.
The Stolen Generation: what is the impact of the Stolen Generation’s experiences in the 1960s and also in contemporary Australia?