Encore Series – Molly Reynolds, David Gulpilil, and the Final Return to Country

In this Encore episode, Claire O’Berry speaks with Australian filmmaker Molly Reynolds, director of My Name Is Gulpilil, a documentary shaped around the final chapter of iconic actor and dancer David Gulpilil’s life.

Together, Claire and Molly explore what David’s story reveals about mortality, culture, identity, and the deep human longing to return to our roots at the end of life. The conversation moves through Aboriginal perspectives on Country and kinship, the complexities of care and access, and the way film can hold both beauty and hard truth.

Claire is resharing this conversation after recently watching Journey Home, David Gulpilil (narrated by Hugh Jackman), which tells David’s story of returning home and last wishes being honored.

In this episode:

• My Name Is Gulpilil and David’s life on screen and off
• Country, belonging, and the importance of being laid to rest on ancestral land
• How care systems can help, and how they can miss cultural realities
• The role of story, art, and memory in preparing for death

Mentioned:

• My Name Is Gulpilil (Molly Reynolds)
• Journey Home, David Gulpilil (narrated by Hugh Jackman)
• Films connected to David’s career and collaborations, including Walkabout, Storm Boy, The Tracker, Ten Canoes, Charlie’s Country, and Another Country