This deeply moving, extraordinary documentary investigates life on Christmas Island, one of the last-discovered places on earth. Home to fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, the island is famous as the site of one of the world’s largest land migrations - that of 40 million red crabs annually scurrying to the sea. But today the island is also home to a much darker presence: a high-security detention facility where those seeking asylum in Australia are held indefinitely.
By following trauma counsellor Poh Lin Lee, director Gabrielle Brady explores the island’s stunning landscapes, its violent past and its inescapable present. Extracts of detainees’ therapy sessions expose the brutality, isolation and hopelessness inherent in Australia’s indefinite detention policy while Brady’s camera captures the relentless force of the crabs’ parallel journey. Her lyrical, gentle approach makes the film’s underlying sense of anger and frustration all the more potent.