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Description

A young woman decides to traverse Australia by foot in this visually exquisite adaptation of Robyn Davidson’s memoir of her 1977 trek into the outback, a tale that is one part adventure journey and two parts self-discovery drama. With National Geographic bankrolling her, Davidson (Mia Wasikowska) sets off from remote Alice Springs in the company of four camels and a dog, intending to walk 2,000 miles across a furnace-like desert to the shores of the Indian Ocean. There are similarities to Into the Wild (2007) in the story’s solo traveler scenario and emphasis on finding oneself through nature, but the parallels end there. While there is a focus on Davidson’s daily needs for water, food and shade from the blistering heat, what unfolds—step by demanding step—are moments of spiritual epiphany that transcend these challenges and suggest what motivated her to disconnect from society in the first place. Despite meetings with photographer Rick Smolan (Adam Driver), Aboriginal guide Mr. Eddy (Roly Mintuma) and a few others, hers is essentially a lonesome walkabout, made visceral by Wasikowska’s physical performance and cinematographer Mandy Walker’s vivid images of beautiful, but harsh desert landscapes. –Steve Ramos

Trailer

//player.vimeo.com/video/90586323?autoplay=1

Film Details