Rating of
2.5/4
The Bleak Outback
Unknown - wrote on 06/22/14
A slow, bleak, and very realistic road movie. '10 years after the collapse' is the only thing we know about the crumbled society of the Australian outback. Quite frankly, we don't need a backstory. The harsh and dirty atmosphere explains enough. This is a place where no one has much besides their cars, guns, and shirts on their backs. It's a desolate area with little to no order. People are shot over the smallest of things. It's a real survivalist setting. The (nameless) main character internalizes his struggles, saying few words and flipping a violent switch at those who attempt to stop him in his path. He shares some past pain in two scenes and the ending shows the emotional attachment that comes with retrieving his car. The rest is not the most engaging, I will say. The narrative leaves a little more to be desired, considering all the time used for forcing this brooding tone. Pearce and Pattinson carry the film with strong performances. Without them it may have been just a bit tough to sit through. Worth a watch for anyone interested, but not a repeat viewer.
