Strangerland

In the photo you’re showing a copy with a cardboard sleeve or cover and I received a used very old copy with a flimsy plastic case. Not as advertised. Still works and is in good condition but lower quality copy.

Slow-to-unfold horror tale? Or *just* a weird family drama? Beginning to end, it's impossible to tell which one STRANGERLAND is, and that's one more great thing about this new film from Down Under. So for those looking for grindhouse horror or oddball family drama, be warned: neither one of those genres is actually represented here. This is very much an adult film; but those with out-of-control kids should probably make their kids watch it.The wild, however we approach its wonder and beauty, always carries a thorn, a poison stinger hidden in the beautiful landscape. The Australian Outback shown here is one of those most unforgiving landscapes. Thanks to great cinematography and really superb direction, you will get a good, breathless slice of Nature's Reality Show here, both in the vast reaches of the Outback and in the depths of human nature.And speaking of naturalness, it's here for the first time, you can see both great actors --Nicole Kidman and Hugo Weaving-- actually looking their age.The fallout from one family's move to the deep Australian Outback from a metro center is spooky-beautiful to watch, slow to start, and stays deep. Layers keep unfolding. That indigenous Aboriginal wisdom ways were not the focal point or much of a back story disappointed me at first; but there were understated markers along the way, including a very young child's mention of The Rainbow Serpent.Maybe the real mystery at work here is how many parents fail their kids, and the terrifying ripple effect that is the cost of careless parenting. One thing's for sure: no stone is left unturned in this scary, unflinching look at a family tangled up in one of the worst kinds of tragedy.The combination of permissive *anything goes* parenting and what can happen to the sexually precocious kid and everyone around them without close parenting, is shown here to be fertile ground indeed, for Bad Things. In one shocking scene, the stay-at-home mom actually tries to blame the school for her kids' failure to attend.

Glancing at the reviews on 'Imdb' i feel this well-crafted movie has been somewhat under-rated.'Catherine' (Nicole Kidman) and husband 'Matthew Parker' along with their children 'Lily' (Maddison Brown) and'Tommy' (Nicholas Hamilton) live in a back-water town these days on the edge of the 'Australian' outback.They are a pretty dysfunctional family, 'Catherine' and 'Matthew' barely get along these days and sleep separately,15-year old 'Lily' is out-of-control and has built up quite a reputation among the local-lads of the small town, theproblems within the household have rubbed off on younger sibling 'Tommy' he often goes for a walk-about at night.When a ferocious dust-storm hits town, both 'Lily' and 'Tommy' had earlier seemingly run-off together, there is notrace of their whereabouts, local Sheriff 'David Rae' (Hugo Weaving ) organises a search in the surrounding out-backknowing that in the searing heat the two siblings can survive but a few days.Desperation quickly overwhelms 'Catherine' and 'Matthew' their personal difficulties become even more evident, astime appears to be running out it becomes an emotion-charged search......will the two be found alive ???This Australian made movie has been well crafted, many actors among the cast emerge with credit for their roles inthe film, 'Nicole Kidman' in particular is superb.Well worth a viewing..........Features -The Cast FeaturetteThe Story Featurette

Maybe the name of the movie should have been Nympo-land, because the underlying theme is - what happens when women have a larger libido then men. In this case a mother who apparently inherited her sexual proclivities from her mother, or were they learned behavior, which we'll never know, because there are too many lose ends in movie to really understand the characters. It is hard to have a 'healthy' empathy for characters that really need very serious help. Instead, I just felt very, very sad.Maybe the message is that we are all at the mercy of our sexuality.You might say it is all in the subtext, but not really. For example, who was making the heavy breathing phone calls, or why did the boy get lost in the desert when he typically 'walks' all the time, and why on THAT night? Where did the girl end up with her sexual exploits? What lesson did we learn? Did she live happily ever after or get dumped on the side of the road? Why did the mother walk into town naked? Yes, get theater, to show how tortured she is, but come on... really?I guess as a mystery it would have been a let down if one of the characters 'did it'. But not having any of them, in the end, responsible is also a let down. Acting was great if you like to watch the disintegration of people, and some brutal honesty too. It was never clear what the actual problem was between the husband and wife, other then past history and personality differences which drove them apart and you not really sure if they will ever be a 'real' couple.Basically, a dark story with a lot of lose ends. You might call it realistic. You might say it is not your typical Hollywood movie. Baut anyway you look at it, for me at least, it really wasn't engaging. The characters just weren't likeable, however realistic and damaged they were realistically portrayed.

Strangerland starts off well enough and sets itself up as a decent mystery. A family are living in backwater Australia, having had to leave the previous town they were living in for a reason that is not revealed until midway through the film. Then a dust storm descends on the town and their 2 teenage children disappear without a trace. The hunt for the missing children begins and in doing so secrets from the family's past are slowly revealed and accusations begin to fly as several suspects begin to emerge. The 3 central leads are Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving, all of whom do a decent job. The only problem is the film doesn't actually go anywhere, I felt there wasn't really a conclusion to the story and it's a long drawn out process to get to the disappointing ending.

This film was a good portrayal of what it is like to live in a small outback down. The current problems caused by drug abuse and lack of jobs is well evidenced. I enjoyed it as Nicole Kidman was as brilliant as ever.

Trailer looked good. The film was so awful I've given it to charity.

good film

Not to be recommended for mothers of young children. Nor for those who like tidy endings to their films. Fans of Nicole Kidman should be pleased to see her turn in an excellent performance, but if you just want to see her nude, there is only one such scene and it is not erotic but somewhat disturbing. Instead you can appreciate the excellent acting by all involved.The Aussie Tourist Board may find this film gives a negative picture of their country.