I can see why 'Strangerland' has divided critics and audiences alike. It is that sort of movie. When a leading character plaintively asks "What does that mean" and 'What's wrong with me" repeatedly, you just know as an audience you will not be rewarded with a conclusion or even any answers. That is OK, if your characters are likable and worth unpacking emotionally; but perhaps that is where 'Strangerland' most falters. There is a coldness to the protagonists; played here by Oscar winner Nicole Kidman and Joseph Fiennes. Both actors have terrific intensity, but especially Fiennes' character is underwritten and too stolidly portrayed. Kidman throws everything she has at the role, but there are some dimensions to the narrative and scripting that are hard to authenticate, but then again this is an extraordinary situation; when one's only children wander off, inexplicably into the outback. Part of the mystery for this viewer was why the leads behaved the way they did; less so what happens to the aforementioned offspring.
I wanted to like this movie more, and I've certainly seen worse, but at times it seems all mood and hand wringing, and no real or congruent emotion or storytelling. As ever, the production values are fine with some eery scoring, majestic and at times menacing camera work, and some sharply observed moments, but it is also quite self conscious and difficult to stay connected to. Nicole Kidman goes out of her way to avoid the predictable roles that Hollywood actresses get past a certain age, but despite her requisite skill and gusto, there is, for me, a coldness and aloofness that permeates pretty much every role I see her in. Her filmography has SO many tortured women; trapped, miserable, moody and broken. As much as the actress is a drawcard; that reputation can overshadow a project. There was also, little, if no chemistry here between Kidman and Fiennes; perhaps intentionally (as the somewhat brittle married couple display during the movie), but that does nothing to engender compassion or interest in the trauma that the pair experience.
I love that the Australian film industry is abundantly rich with storytellers, practitioners of the medium and actors that bring narratives to life. I love that in this one year (2015) there are stories as varied as comedies of manners, bleak road movies, family friendly fare with penguins and dogs, and adaptations of beloved literary works. Some will fly, others will sink. Art is in the eye of the beholder. I've seen this done better, but it does raise some questions about sexuality and teens; suppression of emotions and tensions and how all of this plays out in domestic relationships. It is for that, that I still rate this a 6 out of 10.
I wanted to like this movie more, and I've certainly seen worse, but at times it seems all mood and hand wringing, and no real or congruent emotion or storytelling. As ever, the production values are fine with some eery scoring, majestic and at times menacing camera work, and some sharply observed moments, but it is also quite self conscious and difficult to stay connected to. Nicole Kidman goes out of her way to avoid the predictable roles that Hollywood actresses get past a certain age, but despite her requisite skill and gusto, there is, for me, a coldness and aloofness that permeates pretty much every role I see her in. Her filmography has SO many tortured women; trapped, miserable, moody and broken. As much as the actress is a drawcard; that reputation can overshadow a project. There was also, little, if no chemistry here between Kidman and Fiennes; perhaps intentionally (as the somewhat brittle married couple display during the movie), but that does nothing to engender compassion or interest in the trauma that the pair experience.
I love that the Australian film industry is abundantly rich with storytellers, practitioners of the medium and actors that bring narratives to life. I love that in this one year (2015) there are stories as varied as comedies of manners, bleak road movies, family friendly fare with penguins and dogs, and adaptations of beloved literary works. Some will fly, others will sink. Art is in the eye of the beholder. I've seen this done better, but it does raise some questions about sexuality and teens; suppression of emotions and tensions and how all of this plays out in domestic relationships. It is for that, that I still rate this a 6 out of 10.