It is often said that America is obsessed with the race issue. From the signing of our Constitution and the arguments over slavery that led to the Civil War to our most recent presidential election, race relations have always seemed to be at the forefront of our national conversation. In fact, race relations and American history often seemed so inextricably linked that we forget that other countries have struggled and continue to struggle with the issue as well. In France, the Algerians were long treated as second-class citizens (or worse, at times), while in Africa, the deeply disturbing and borderline genocidal actions by European settlers against natives have been well-documented. Yet, there is another major case of racial conflict that continues to be a problem even today and that has been long ignored by the world at large.

Much of the reason the world has ignored the situation is simply because Australia hasn't, over its nearly 300-year existence, been a particularly major player in the global scene. The country, despite its role as a major destination for European settlers for over 200 years, still boasts a population less than a tenth the size of America, even though its land mass is nearly the same.

Yet Australia's struggle with race relations between its white European settlers and the indigenous Aboriginal population is long and extremely troubling. For roughly 100 years, even until the 1970s in some parts of Australia, it was custom for the government to remove Aboriginal children from their homes so as to "protect" the children from their "brutal and wild" native parents. To say the practice, often called "stolen generations," was vile and barbaric doesn't seem to do it justice, but it was not until February of this year that the Australian government finally apologized to the Aboriginal people for the millions of deaths and broken families it caused.

This sad affair in Australia's history is the subject of Baz Luhrman's latest film, simply titled Australia. If you have trouble recalling Luhrman's name, don't fret; the man has made only three films until now, the last one released seven years ago. On the other hand though, when the only three films Luhrman has released are the imaginative and spectacular Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, critics tend to take note of pretty much anything he does. Australia is as grand and epic as it is confused and jumbled, but overall the film's successes outweigh its failures.

The film stars Aussie native Nicole Kidman as an Englishwoman who goes to Australia to check on her husband and his cattle-driving business. When she finds her husband murdered, she decides to stay on and run the business with the help of the mysterious Drover, played by Hugh Jackman. Australia draws liberally from a number of genres: At times it seems Western, other times like a war film, but at its core it is a grand and epic romance. Kidman and Jackman possess palpable chemistry, and the film's romance ends up feeling as "Hollywood epic" as great film romances like Casablanca or Titanic.

Unfortunately, the film also falls flat on its face at times. Luhrman has always delighted audiences with the artificiality of his movies, preferring spectacle over any style of realism in vogue with modern directors. Luhrman's technique was perfect for the outlandishly spectacular Romeo + Juliet and the achingly grand and beautiful Moulin Rouge!, but at times his style overwhelms the story of Australia. Certain scenes possess much of the manic dialogue and editing of his earlier films, even though it often does not suit the film well. Likewise, Luhrman often struggles when he gets away from the romance at the heart of the film, as if Australia is simply too epic for even Luhrman to tackle.

It is a shame, too, because there is much about Australia that is truly incredible. Certain sequences are gorgeously shot, and Hugh Jackman has a star-making role, with a few scenes that leave women salivating and men envious. Kidman is hit-or-miss in her part, though that is less her fault than the fault of the script, which has her character over-the-top comedic in one scene and serious about her business in the next.

In the end, though, even if Australia fails occasionally, the sheer epic scope of the film usually overwhelms its missteps. It is a beautiful film to look at, but it is the race relations at the heart of the story that keep the film interesting. Issues of racial identity are key to the story, with a young mixed-race boy, half Aboriginal and half white, playing a critical role.

The film is best when it stays grounded in its story, but too often it prefers to soar with epic grandeur above it all. While racism is essential to the story, it often gets overwhelmed by the other rapid proceedings. Why should we care about the history of racism in Australia when we can instead marvel at the dress Nicole Kidman is wearing or a swooping and beautiful shot of the Australian outback?

It is too bad, because the practice of "stolen generations" is one of Western civilization's greatest embarrassments, and it is a story that needs to be told for a world audience. Unfortunately, Australia isn't the film to do that, as it prefers to tell an epic love story instead. And, while there is nothing wrong with that, one can only hope that Luhrman's next undertaking is somewhat more focused than this film. Oh, and if he felt like releasing another film before 2015, that would be great, too. Luhrman is one of cinema's greatest visual directors working today. Too bad his other storytelling talents aren't quite as up to the task in this film.