Tracks
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver,
Director: John Curran
Rating: 4/5
Mia Wasikowska is one of the most exciting young actresses working in Hollywood at the moment, and she took on one of her most challenging roles this year with Tracks.
Tracks saw her team up with director John Curran for the first time, as they brought Robyn Davidson's incredible true story to the big screen.
Robyn Davidson (Wasikowska) is a young woman who leaves her life in the city to make a solo trek through almost 2,000 miles of sprawling Australian desert.
Accompanied by only her dog and four unpredictable camels, she sets off on a life-changing journey of self-discovery.
Along the way, she meets National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan (Driver) who begins to photograph her voyage.
What is so amazing about this movie is the fact that it is a true story, and Curran has delivered a very powerful, beautiful, and moving account of Davidson's journey and books she later wrote.
Davidson always saw beauty in the desert around her, and instead of showing this environment as hostile; Curran really does show that world through her eyes.
He has shot the desert in a way that is quiet and reflective. The cinematography is just staggering and it really is one of the most beautiful movies that you will see this year.
I have been a fan of Wasikowska for quite some time, but in Tracks, this young actress really does shine.
She carries this film squarely on her shoulders, and while there is little dialogue, Wasikowska paints Davidson as a complex and incredibly interesting character.
Tracks is not a movie about drama or complicated narrative, this is very much a film about aspirations, endurance, landscape, culture and quiet: which is the complete opposite to the noisy movies that we see hit the big screen.
There really is a spiritual side to this movie and, as an audience member, I found myself to be really caught up in that. This journey was as much an internal journey as a physical one for Davidson, and I think that Curran has captured that beautifully.
From start to finish, Tracks is a beautiful movie with a terrific central performance from Wasikowska that pushes it forward. This is so different to most movies that have hit the big screen this year, and is a film that is not to be missed.
We caught up with director John Curran to chat about Tracks - read the full interview.
Tracks it out on DVD & Blu-Ray now.