Walkabout (1971)

This is the fourth film directed by Nicolas Roeg that I've seen, and it keeps my "he's obviously not for me" streak alive. While I acknowledge that the outback landscape is beautiful -- it's almost more nature documentary than survival story -- the whole thing just made me borderline upset and, once the aboriginal teen shows up, extremely uncomfortable. I could not get on its wavelength. Or, quite possibly, I simply didn't want to get there. Ironically, nothing felt natural. From the weird cooking radio station that was playing (...then drown the bird in cognac) to the lecherous weather research group set up in the desert, it was just a pile of off-putting weirdness. 

Walkabout was included in the British Film Institute's 2005 list of "50 Films You Should See by the Age of 14" and, to that, I say "what in the actual fuck?" Well, wait. On second thought, I'm sure my boys would've LOVED this at 14. I mean, probably not the whole movie, but a few choice scenes for sure.

F