Walkabout

An ambitious film by Nicolas Roeg, but it didn't quite work for me. It's clear the film is supposed to be magical and ethereal, but Roeg's attempts often come off a little too labored and imprecise. I appreciated the effort Roeg put in the audiovisual elements, I just wish the execution was better.

Two city kids end up alone in the Australian outback, after their father commits suicide. They aren't used to surviving in the wilderness and their fate looks dim. Then an aboriginal boy appears and tags along with them. Though they don't speak each other's language, they do have a level of understanding.

The setting is great and Roeg really tries to set his film apart. He also succeeds I guess, I just didn't care too much for the soundtrack and the somewhat crude editing. The finale is also somewhat disappointing, but at least Walkabout is a pretty memorable, well-paced film, so it certainly wasn't all bad.