The Sapphires (2013)

This film is about a group rarely shown, cast or even discussed in films: the Aboriginals of Australia. Now, the film has several plot holes, some of which are gaping, but they are only a problem if you worry about them.
In 1968, three sisters and their stolen cousin reunite and journey to Vietnam to entertain the troops fighting there. Dave Lovelace (Chris O'Dowd) is the one who 'discovers' them. In reality, sure he is the one who believes that they have great talent but Julie (Jessica Mauboy) is the one who wants to became famous and urges him to manager them so they can go to Vietnam. Gail (Deborah Mailman), the oldest and mother hen of the group, believes that she is too young, plus, she also has a young son to consider. Despite this, her father and grandmother allow her to run away and join the group in Melbourne, much to the dismay of the mother. Kay (Shari Stebbens) also joins them, probably because she is bored more than anything else. Gail isn't exactly thrilled to see her because for the past ten years, she has been raised to believe that she (Kay) is white, as the Australian government did back them. They later get into a pretty bad fight because Gail feels that it is her fault Kay was taken in the first place. She can't forgive herself for the event and Kay for how she treated the family at her mother's funeral. The remaining sister, Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) has some minor plots including the fact that her fiance dumped her at the alter and she has a minor drinking problem.
Of course, despite the extreme prickliness of the relationship, we know that Dave and Gail are going to get together and they do, but Dave is also married, unhappily, for the record and Gail does give him a hard time about it, though not as long as you would have thought. She is truly a great character and without a doubt the best, most developed character of the film.
There are also the elements of war to consider and Dave does nearly die as the camp is ambushed. Gail and the rest of the group (named The Sapphires on the spur of the moment because their actual name is not pronounceable by any non-Aboriginals) believe him to be dead but fortunately, that proves not the be the case.
Now, to the problems, after nearly dying, the girls return home but it isn't until the film ends when you find out what happened. Despite the film implying that Julie was on the brink of truly becoming famous, that doesn't happen. The credits say that each of the real life counterparts helped fight to get more rights for the Aboriginals, certainly a good cause. That is the biggest problem, but also, why does Cynthia develop a drinking problem and how does she recover from it, does Kay end up with Robby (Tory Kittles), the American soldier she had been dating, and how does the friendship truly heal between Gail and Kay? None of these get answered, but somehow Gail and Kay are on great terms by the end of the film, while the other two do not. We never know if the girls return to Vietnam where they are a big hit to entertain some more.
Despite these holes, the film is still largely enjoyable; it is a war film but almost a family friendly, tidied up version of the nasty war. The girls are extremely talented both as singers and actresses, even the minor roles are well done. The scenery is pretty good though the ambush scene is slightly hokey. Nevertheless, the film is still solid and a film that should have had a wider release in America and one that you surely should check out, you won't be disappointed. Grade: B+