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Set in 1900, Picnic at Hanging Rock follows a group of students from Appleyard College, a girls' private school, as they enjoy a, well, picnic at Hanging Rock, a rocky mountain in Australia. When some of the schoolgirls and a teacher disappear, those that remain have to deal with the aftermath.
This is one of Peter Weir's first films, but he directs it like a consumate veteran. He gives the film a certain mistifying feel to it; an ever-present ethereal vibe that hangs above every scene and every interaction. When the girls arrive at the titular mountain, it is as if they were being quietly watched by it. The rock becomes like another character; a millenial rock formation clashing with the youth and fragility of these girls, all propped up in their own facades of "decency".
But under that facade, there is repression, guilt, hidden desires, unconformity, all bubbling under the surface like a volcano about to erupt. Not only in the girls, but in the adults meant to supervise them, those that are enforcing the repression themselves. Everybody is trapped, which might make the fate of the disappearing girls like a blessing to them, and a curse to those that remain.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that Weir went to great lengths to make the film's mystery "unsolvable". For a relative newcomer, this is a bold choice, but one that paid off for him. The film was a critical and commercial success and put Weir on the map. Proof that some films got answers and some haven't, which depending on how you do it, can be a blessing or a curse.
Grade:
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
(1975, Weir)
A film that starts with the letters O or P • A film set in school • A film with any of the words "Rock", "Paper", "Scissors" in its title
-- recommended by Tim Daugherty --
(1975, Weir)
A film that starts with the letters O or P • A film set in school • A film with any of the words "Rock", "Paper", "Scissors" in its title
-- recommended by Tim Daugherty --
"There's some questions got answers and some haven't."
Set in 1900, Picnic at Hanging Rock follows a group of students from Appleyard College, a girls' private school, as they enjoy a, well, picnic at Hanging Rock, a rocky mountain in Australia. When some of the schoolgirls and a teacher disappear, those that remain have to deal with the aftermath.
This is one of Peter Weir's first films, but he directs it like a consumate veteran. He gives the film a certain mistifying feel to it; an ever-present ethereal vibe that hangs above every scene and every interaction. When the girls arrive at the titular mountain, it is as if they were being quietly watched by it. The rock becomes like another character; a millenial rock formation clashing with the youth and fragility of these girls, all propped up in their own facades of "decency".
But under that facade, there is repression, guilt, hidden desires, unconformity, all bubbling under the surface like a volcano about to erupt. Not only in the girls, but in the adults meant to supervise them, those that are enforcing the repression themselves. Everybody is trapped, which might make the fate of the disappearing girls like a blessing to them, and a curse to those that remain.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that Weir went to great lengths to make the film's mystery "unsolvable". For a relative newcomer, this is a bold choice, but one that paid off for him. The film was a critical and commercial success and put Weir on the map. Proof that some films got answers and some haven't, which depending on how you do it, can be a blessing or a curse.
Grade: