Release Date: August 18, 2015
Rating: R
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Newly arrived to a remote desert town, Catherine (Nicole Kidman) and Matthew (Joseph Fiennes) are tormented by suspicion when their two teenage children mysteriously vanish into a dust storm that leaves only cryptic incriminations and family secrets in its wake.
I was intrigued by Strangerland for two reasons. One. Nicole Kidman. I think she is one of the most under-appreciated actors out there and I love her so much so watching this was a no brainer. Two. The story, following two parents after the disappearance of their children drew me in because who doesn’t want to root for parents in this terrible situation every step of the way? With this, I put Strangerland into the DVD player and began watching.
The movie starts off with promise and is captivating as we meet the newly relocated Parker family and see how this family’s world is slowly but surely turned upside down yet again. Kidman’s performance (her first Australian indie since 1980) gripped me in my seat as did the tension in all of the characters and their longing to hold onto familiarity of peace in the never ending conflicts that life presents. I also loved the dialogue, I thought was so great but in the end, the overall pacing of the story really brought everything down.
I did like and appreciate the tone of the movie but I think that played a huge part in the pacing of the story as the heart of the story was there but it got caught up and lost in the dust storm along with the children, slowing down the story in a way I think hurt this film more than it helped. There are just so many subplots and themes here when it comes to loss but none of it is explored as deeply as it could have been and that’s the film’s downfall. So while I won’t necessarily recommend this film, beautiful as it is visually, I do appreciate its efforts and do think that it has its strengths, enough of them to not completely disregard this piece.
Cast Featurette (8 minutes) – In this feaurette, the crew talks about casting the film and the cast talks about what it was like working with each other, which, if you’ve seen any feature like this before on any movie or TV DVD/blu-ray, they’re all pretty much the same.
Appearing in this Feature:
Cast Members, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Nicole Kidman, Lisa Flanagan
Director, Kim Farrant
Producers, Macdara Kelleher, Naomi Wenck
Story Featurette (5 minutes) – In this featurette, the cast and crew talk about the story behind Strangerland and working with first time director, Kim Farrant. It’s always lovely seeing first time directors hone their element and seeing Kim here was quite special but aside from that, this feature is also one you can skip.
Appearing in this Feature:
Director of Photography, P.J. Dillon
Director, Kim Farrant
Cast Members, Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan
Producer, Naomi Wenck
Own Strangerland on Blu-ray and DVD today.