Australian adventurer Robyn Davidson gained worldwide recognition in the late 1970s for her arduous nine-month journey from Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, westward across 1,700 miles of desert to the Indian Ocean. She recounted her experiences in a hugely popular National Geographic feature and later a book, though her story has taken some 35 years to bring to the screen, possibly because the woman at its center (played by Mia Wasikowska) seems so diffident. The movie touches on Davidson’s fascination with the aboriginals she met along the way, as well as her casual romance with Geographic photographer Rick Smolan (Adam Driver), but she seems more emotionally engaged with the trusty black labrador and four camels that accompanied her on her journey. Ultimately the movie mimics the trajectory of the quest itself, pulling one toward its final destination, but across an arid expanse. John Curran (We Don’t Live Here Anymore) directed.
Tracks
PG-13 • 1 hour 50 min • 2014
