Maybe I missed the message entirely, but I was disappointed. OK, the film relies heavily on mood and emotion rather than action, as many Aussie films seem to do. I can see that it can be taken as an allegory for the white man's invasion of the aboriginal's world - the rape and murder of black by white is followed by callous disregard by white men who come after - but is this really the message? Stewart's reaction when he finds the body is hardly uncaring, it's more like hysterical. And did the killer deliberately choose the aboriginal girl for his victim? The way he lay in wait behind the rocks makes it look random. What is the significance of Caylin-Calandria's absurd name? Why does she kill the guinea-pig? Is this supposed to show her as 'evil'? after all, she appears to have evil intent when Tom almost drowns. Is there any significance in the guinea-pig being black? There are a number of scenes that -to me, at least - add nothing to the movie, and only confuse the story. Why is the killer shown uncovering the victim's car in his shed, and pulling off the P plate? The car being there obviously puts him at risk of being caught, but nothing comes of it. Why does the killer try to force Claire off the road in the same way he did to his victim - reminiscent of the Peter Falconio killer - is this meant to throw suspicion on him in Claire's mind? Nothing comes of it. When Claire shows up at the aboriginal's spirit-smoking ceremony, some mourners resent her intrusion and threaten her - yet the killer is there too, watching from the sidelines, but no-one questions or objects to his presence.
One thing that did amuse me is the apparent nod the director gives to the movie 'Duel' in the way the FJ45 Landcruiser appears to menace its 'victims' - the close-up view in the mirror, the revving overtaking maneuver, the heavy diesel idling when it's lying in wait, all look familiar. And, like the truck in Duel, it stops and waits up ahead after it has given Claire a scare. Sure, we see the driver in this one, unlike Duel, but I thought there was a parallel.
One thing that did amuse me is the apparent nod the director gives to the movie 'Duel' in the way the FJ45 Landcruiser appears to menace its 'victims' - the close-up view in the mirror, the revving overtaking maneuver, the heavy diesel idling when it's lying in wait, all look familiar. And, like the truck in Duel, it stops and waits up ahead after it has given Claire a scare. Sure, we see the driver in this one, unlike Duel, but I thought there was a parallel.