John Pilger s Documentary, Utopia - 1153 Words

John Pilger’s documentary, Utopia (2013) exposes the government’s failure to invest in Aboriginal communities and Australia’s ongoing mistreatment of Indigenous Australians. The Aboriginal community of Utopia in central Australia live in third-world conditions and Pilger explores the experiences of Indigenous Australians and what he terms the denigrating of their humanity (Pilger. J, 2013). The town, Utopia reveals that Indigenous health has not improved since Pilger’s similar documentary 28 years ago called The Secret Country (1985). This documentary draws on documentary techniques and the power of language to position responders. The composer uses the power of language through documentary techniques by providing facts. Indigenous Australians experience many inequalities in their health. Pilger uses statistics to deliver the hard facts about Indigenous health to position the responders to respond in a particular way. Statistics ensures that the information being given is accurate, factual and believable. An example used in the documentary is â€Å"almost one third of Aboriginal people are dead before the age of 45† (Pilger. J, 2013). The impact of using statistics means the viewer is less likely to dispute facts than opinion. Pilger also uses the power of language through documentary techniques of using experts. The use of experts portrays authority. Dr. Janelle Trees is a general practitioner of Mutitjulu and is interviewed in this documentary. Dr. Janelle Trees