Walkabout

Directed by Nicolas Roeg

A young sister and brother are abandoned in the harsh Australian outback and must learn to cope in the natural world, without their usual comforts. Along the way, they meet a young aborigine on his “walkabout,” a rite of passage in which adolescent boys are initiated into manhood by journeying into the wilderness alone. Walkabout is a thrilling adventure as well as a provocative rumination on time and civilization.

Selected for That’s a Wrap by Jason Wood:

For me Nicolas Roeg is possibly the world’s greatest living filmmaker. He revolutionised how films are composed and how we think about them. As a director he was also instrumental in crediting the audience to have the intelligence and will to work at extracting meaning and connections from images.  Walkabout was Roeg’s first feature as sole director following his collaboration with Donald Cammell on Performance. It’s a remarkable coming-of-age tale which also looks at discrepancies in culture. Roeg photographed the film himself and I still can’t recall a better looking picture. When I think about the film I am transported back to a magical time when the cinema really was a place for discovery.

Duration:
96 minutes

Languages:
English

Country of origin:
Australia

Year of production:
1970