It's an Australian clash-of-cultures survival drama set in the late 1960s in Sydney, Australia, and the Outback. Father (John Meillon) leads a 16-year-old Girl (Jenny Agutter) and her much younger Brother (Luc Roeg) into the Outback where he plans a murder-suicide. The Girl and Brother escape, but their Father dies after burning the car. They have minimal food and a portable radio as they set off on a trek to nowhere.
After two days, they are in dire straits until they are found by an aboriginal Black Boy (David Gulpilil) or Yolngu teenager on his age-16 walkabout, where he is to survive solely on his own. Brother manages to communicate their plight, and Black Boy provides access to water. They follow his lead, hoping he will return them to "civilization."
The film follows their joint trek, including varying levels of communication, several intersections with White Australian "civilization," and the final return of Girl and Brother to their world. A brief postscript underscores the depth of Girl's experience.
"Walkabout" is a creative part of early Australian commercial cinema. It provides no translation for Black Boy's speech, which is as it should be. The film portrays imperfect communication very well. Beautiful photography of animals and landscapes reflects Nicolas Roeg's professional background. The film has a level of sexual tension in an atmosphere of innocence that sometimes doesn't quite work. There should have been more context to explain Father's actions (which are not from the novel). White Australian civilization comes off poorly in "Walkabout"; Yolngu seems somehow purer. Some scenes, like the Italian weather balloonists, seem heavy-handed and gratuitous.
After two days, they are in dire straits until they are found by an aboriginal Black Boy (David Gulpilil) or Yolngu teenager on his age-16 walkabout, where he is to survive solely on his own. Brother manages to communicate their plight, and Black Boy provides access to water. They follow his lead, hoping he will return them to "civilization."
The film follows their joint trek, including varying levels of communication, several intersections with White Australian "civilization," and the final return of Girl and Brother to their world. A brief postscript underscores the depth of Girl's experience.
"Walkabout" is a creative part of early Australian commercial cinema. It provides no translation for Black Boy's speech, which is as it should be. The film portrays imperfect communication very well. Beautiful photography of animals and landscapes reflects Nicolas Roeg's professional background. The film has a level of sexual tension in an atmosphere of innocence that sometimes doesn't quite work. There should have been more context to explain Father's actions (which are not from the novel). White Australian civilization comes off poorly in "Walkabout"; Yolngu seems somehow purer. Some scenes, like the Italian weather balloonists, seem heavy-handed and gratuitous.