Adventure,Drama
Australia,United Kingdom
Walkabout is a 1971 Australian film directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Jenny Agutter, Lucien John, and David Gulpilil. The film tells the story of two siblings, a teenage girl (Agutter) and her young brother (John), who are stranded in the Australian outback after their father tries to kill them and himself during a picnic.
Lost and alone in the wilderness, the children struggle to find food and water and fend off the dangers of the harsh outback. Along the way, they encounter an Aboriginal boy (Gulpilil), who is on his own walkabout, a traditional rite of passage wherein Aboriginal youths spend several months living in the wilderness.
The Aboriginal boy teaches the children survival skills and helps them find their way back to civilization, but not before highlighting the stark contrast between his way of life and the modern, industrialized world of the children's parents.
Throughout the film, Roeg uses imagery and editing techniques to contrast the vast, beautiful landscape of the outback with the bleak, artificial world of the city, and to explore the themes of cultural difference, alienation, and the struggle for identity and meaning in a rapidly changing world.
Walkabout is considered a classic of Australian cinema and a landmark in the development of the art-house film genre. Its bold themes, innovative visual style, and powerful performances by its leads have made it a favorite among film critics and audiences alike.
