STRANGERLAND

Australia, 2015, 112 minutes, Colour.
Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Madison Brown, Nicholas Hamilton, Meine Wyatt, Lisa Flanagan.
Directed by Kim Farrant.

Strangerland was filmed around Broken Hill, a location that may seem familiar to many Australian audiences but, in fact, is rather remote. The town in the film resembles many country towns, especially those in the outback, small towns, for instance, in north-western Queensland. Which means that this is a strangerland to most audiences.

We are introduced to the Parker family who have moved to this town from another not so far away – although the reason is not made clear until later in the film and is key to understanding the tensions within the family. The mother, Catherine, is played with quite some intensity by Nicole Kidman. Her husband, Matthew, played by Joseph Fiennes, is the local pharmacist. They have two children, Lily, a rather precocious and sexually curious teenager, and Tommy, younger, intense, who tends to brood.

The film is beautifully photographed, catching both the dreariness of living in this town as well as the beautiful desert and mountain scenery that surrounds it.

Many audiences could identify with the seeming ordinariness of the Parker family, the tensions with the children, the mother and her concern, the father and his strictness, the daughter and her wanting to, rebel, going down to the local skateboard rink and flirting with the teenagers – and more, using her brother as a cover.

The key element of the film is the disappearance of the children and the search for them in the desert and the hills, led by the local policeman, played by Hugo Weaving. Early in the search, it is impeded by an enormous sand storm enveloping the town, the locals having to clean up before they can go to search.

While the policeman is quite phlegmatic, Catherine and Matthew are highly emotional, Catherine sometimes going, over the top, especially in some sexual advance sequences as well as her going out into the desert, stripping, and walking through the main street. Matthew is too often restrained in his emotions, but bursting out in anger, against a teacher who had a relationship with his daughter, against a young aboriginal man who works at his house, suddenly breaking loose and bashing him.

The cross-section of people in the town is familiar enough, the tendency to redneck attitudes, the idle teenagers, the aborigines who are part of the town and yet not quite.

While the film does come to some kind of resolution, it is not quite… Which leaves the audience identifying with the situation, if not the exact feelings, of the parents, realising that this kind of disappearance can easily happen, happens quite often, leaving a hole in the lives of the parents.

With interesting performances, with fine photography, there are many things to commend about Strangerland – but, while watching it, there is the feeling that for many, situations, performances are sometimes too melodramatic to be satisfying.

1. The title? The outback, the desert? The outback town? Its effect on people?

2. The locations, the detail of the town, the town centre, shops, the police station? The outback beauty, desert, mountains? The musical score?

3. The cast? Australian and international?

4. The dramatic plot, melodramatic treatment?

5. An Australian story, universal themes? Family, relationships, pressures, children’s disappearance?

6. Catherine, as a character, her presence in the family, in the town, her age, experience, the marriage, the difficulties in the relationship, her care for her children, love for them? The move to the new town? Discipline for the children? Her relationship with Matthew, his age, experience, tense? His work as a pharmacist? His severity with his children? The issue of Lily going to the concert?

7. The characters of Lily and Tommy, the gradual revelation about Lily, her background, the affair with teacher, the effect on her personality, discipline,
promiscuity? Tommy, walking in the night, his relationship with Lily, his age, getting the money from his father, going with Lily to the skateboard area, relationship with the boys, the relationship with Steve, the sex, the later revelation of ‘the box’? The reputation? Wanting to go to the concert, her father’s refusal, her reaction? Her room, the diary? Matthew seeing them go?

8. Tommy, his age, experience, walking, the boys, the effect on him?

9. The children lost, their parents’ reaction, Catherine waking, contacting Matthew at the pharmacy? Contact with the police? Ray, his handling the case, organising the search? The groups and their searching the desert? The limits of investigation?

10. The sandstorm, Catherine and Matthew in the car? People cleaning up afterwards?

11. Ray, as a character, policeman, his relationship with Coreen? Friendship with Burtie? With Jarra? His own life, separation, his wife leaving him, his daughters? The affair? His job? Working alone? The interrogations, his keeping calm? Clashes with Matthew? The attraction to Catherine? Catherine and her reactions?

12. Coreen, the affair with Ray, Burtie as her brother, Jarra as her son? Bringing the food for the family? Jealousy?

13. Burtie, his accident and the scar, his mental abilities? Working for Matthew? The relationship with Lily? In her diary, the photos, his being upset that she did not tell him she was leaving? Burtie and his friendship with Ray, Ray explaining the situation, Lily’s age, warning him cash? Catherine and her upset? Matthew’s reaction, bashing Burtie?

14. The toll of the disappearance on both Matthew and Catherine? Catherine going out, in the car, searching, Matthew turning back? Catherine and her emotions, the sexual advance on Matthew, his reaction? Her past and the influence on Lily, Matthew’s taunts? Catherine making an advance on Ray, his backing out?

15. Matthew and his anger, his talk, seeing the children go, finally telling this to Catherine? In the desert, finding Tommy? In the hospital, Catherine’s desperate reactions? Wanting information? His travelling to the other town, the background of the teacher and the affair, his challenging the teacher, the teacher’s wife and her reaction? The court order and restraining him? Clashes with Ray?

16. Catherine, reactions, going to the desert, shedding her clothes, walking naked through the town, people’s reactions? Coreen covering her? Her desperate talking with the grandmother about the spirits?

17. Understanding that Lily had gone, Tom’s information about her going in the car, having to accept this reality?

18. The touches of melodrama, especially in behaviour?

19. The fact that this kind of situation happens, families, effective parents, having to accept that children leave?