| Director | Imogen Thomas |
|---|---|
| Genre | coming-of-age film |
| Runtime | 95 min |
| Country | Australia |
The film centres around 9-year-old Ngemba girl Gemma "Gem" Daniels (played by 11-year-old Rhae-Kye Waites) who lives in the remote New South Wales town of Brewarrina.
Following a fishing trip on the banks of the Barwon River with her mother Darlene (Spearim) and older sister Valerie (Boney), Darlene unexpectedly collapses. Despite sprinting into town to get help from her father Jay Jay (Blair) and older brother Ecka (McHughes), there is little they can do.
As the family grieve following Darlene's death, Gemma finds comfort by spending time and bonding with a wild emu, her mother's Totem animal.
Despite having great potential at being a junior athletics champion as a talented runner, Gemma begins to wag school to spend time with the emu, stealing food for the emu to eat, which brings her to the attention of local police officer Stan (Carlton) and social worker Heidi (Blizzard) who make their own assumptions about Jay Jay's ability to look after his family. Gemma's older brother Ecker is facing issues of his own when he develops an alcohol problem, gets involved in drugs and is hospitalised after being assaulted, which leads to Jay Jay becoming involved in a scuffle outside the local hotel and arrested for affray.
Heidi attempts to remove Gemma from her family but after being forced to take a detour on an unsealed backroad due to an accident on the highway, she and Gemma become stranded after almost colliding with an emu, which damages the car. After spending the night together on the deserted road, Heidi begins to understand Gemma's behaviour and realises that she belongs with her family. The following morning, Gemma sprints the long distance back into town to get help for Heidi.