Rating: 4.5/5
Criterion Challenge 2023 | 24/52 | Alicia Malone’s Closet Picks
A man drives his two children into the outback for a picnic. While the girl puts out the blanket and food, the boy plays with a toy gun.
Pistol fire cracks against the rocks. The man shoots at his kids. The boy doesn’t understand. He thinks Dad is playing with him. The girl grabs the boy, and they slip away. Their father takes gasoline to the car. He sets it on fire and kills himself.
The two kids wander the outback. The girl guides as she searches for a way back to civilization.
An aboriginal boy finds them and takes them under his wing. They don’t know where he is taking them, but they know he can survive.
Alice Malone is Australian and said Nicolas Roeg, a British director, perfectly captures the Australian outback.
The photography is breathtaking. They captured several animals alongside the characters.
The landscape, the setting, and the rising sun — the details build a beautiful tableau.
Characteristic of Roeg, the movie doesn’t shy away from animal viscera or human bodies.
The movie explores grand themes — life, death, sex.
The contrast between the white children’s world and the aboriginal boy’s world reveals unexpected disparities and commonalities.
The film captures moments on their journey where they find the failures of colonization — abandoned homes, closed mines, deserted towns. The white British way is incompatible with the outback.
The director’s son, who plays the white boy, is cute and avoids becoming annoying.
Jenny Agutter is perfect as the British girl who assumes the world will help her. It benefits them as they go through the wilderness. Their experience refines and broadens her expectations.
I watched this with my dad and brother. I was uncertain how they would enjoy the movie.
They both liked it! We chatted about the meaning of different scenes and the movie’s total meaning. My brother said he truly enjoyed it! He couldn’t stop talking about it as he walked to his car.
That experience alone made for a memorable watch.
Experiencing that with a thoughtful film makes it even better.