Plot Summary
A young sister and brother are abandoned in the harsh Australian outback and must learn to cope in the natural world, without their usual comforts, in this hypnotic masterpiece from Nicolas Roeg. Along the way, they meet a young aborigine on his “walkabout,” a rite of passage in which adolescent boys are initiated into manhood by journeying into the wilderness alone. Walkabout is a thrilling adventure as well as a provocative rumination on time and civilization.
Credits
Director
Screenwriter
Producer
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
93%- Reviews Counted: 27
- Fresh: 25
- Rotten: 2
- Average Rating: 8.2/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: Roeg intercuts images of modern life with the lushness of nature -- offering a stunning fable about the importance of respecting the earth.
Fresh: Is it a parable about noble savages and the crushed spirits of city dwellers? That's what the film's surface seems to suggest, but I think it's also about something deeper and more elusive: The mystery of communication.
Fresh: For the most part, Walkabout is an involving, occasionally hypnotic, motion picture.
Fresh: An innocent family picnic turns existential in Nicolas Roeg's brilliant Walkabout.
Customer Reviews
A movie of its time
I wish Itunes would dig out original reviews from the release date. Walkabout is a movie of its time, as psychedelic as it is philosophical, beautifully shot even if some of its then innovative shooting style has since become dated. Some of the underlying sexuality may make some uncomfortable, but it is primal and honest, not exploitative. The movie's exploration of man;s natural state vs civilization still resonates today. Watch it.
This movie is not great! Just OK
Nicolas Roeg is a brilliant filmmaker but I am not sure what he is trying to accomplish here? Borderline kiddie porn or a nature film. The story is not very well developed, if you can say there is a story at all. These two bratty kids (one can only hope the girl is supposed to be over 18, I know Jenny Agutter was when this was filmed) get ditched by their psycho and suicidal Dad in the middle of nowhere (aka the Outback) and seem unaffected by their plight. What pushed Dad over the edge? If he was on the verge of suicide (not to mention willing to take potshots at his kids) why would his wife (if there was one) let him take these kids? Roeg does not fill in any pertinent details.
The kids encounter an aborigine fellow on "walkabout" who takes care of them, and ultimately falls for Agutter, meanwhile there is footage of him killing every single type of animal in existence. Tons of footage. Once would have been enough, I get it, where was PETA in 1971. Besides, he doesn't look like much of a cook. To make things more confusing, Roeg introduces all of these characters, who while unsavory, could be viewed as possible saviors of the kids but nothing happens with them. Remove all of the nature shots of birds and insects, the Aboriginal guy killing things and the time spent introducing needless characters and you have a 15 minute movie about 2 kids lost in the desert.
I'll take lord of the flies any day over this. Even the version made in the 90's. Save your $3.99
Unusual and mesmerizing,
Cool movie, Jenny Agutter looked mighty sweet in 1971,
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