By BJ Jackson
Based on the book Tracks by Robyn Davidson, this film follows a young woman who decides to travel from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean overland. She is accompanied by four camels and her trusty black kelpie-cross, Diggity. To fund the trip Robyn (played by Australian Mia Wasikowska) makes a big decision and accepts assistance from National Geographic, this results in her having to tolerate a photographer, (played beautifully by Adam Driver of Girls fame) meeting her throughout her journey to document her travels. She questions this compromise along the route and this relationship creates depth to the storyline.
I was transported back to the red dirt of Australia whilst watching this film. Each step is an effort in searing heat, and the dust, flies and bright sunshine, in a land where the sky seems so high, made me feel the effort of every step. The effort of the camels; the effort of Robyn, traveling on her own through the desert; and the effort of her dog, Diggity providing constant support to her on this long and lonely venture. The film is slow, I suspect a deliberate decision of director John Curran; things don’t happen with haste in the desert. But, it is sublime, the vast brown land of our home is brought to the screen with strength; the music is powerful and by the end of the film I wanted to go to there myself.
BJ’s Rating – 4/5
Have a listen to an interview with Mia Wasikowska here.
AWNY | Australian Women in New York 