Wake in Fright (1971), Ted Kotcheff
2/5
This film is terrifying in a number of ways. It is exceedingly slow paced, with not much happening. The bland outback landscape is so barren it becomes almost surreal. The mundane small town seem frighteningly dull and inescapable for teacher John Grant (Gary Bond) who is trying to catch a plane to Sydney for his holiday. John gets caught up in the sort of darkness of the small town atmosphere and after his seemingly outsider hatred for Australian customs gets broken down a bit he becomes involved in betting. Slowly John gets caught up in the "customs" of Australian outback absorbing the violent mentality that is steeped with a sense of despair. This film paints a bleak yet horribly familiar picture of Australian small towns. The film is well shot and performed, but the pacing is incredibly slow and seems to lack much plot. The ending while dramatic seems unsatisfying and the first 2/3 are very dull. But this is perhaps a case of form mimicking meaning and thus the viewing experience of this film encapsulates the horror and boredom of Australian life. This film encapsulates much of Australian culture that still resonates today, saying much about actual behaviours as well as questioning how we perceive ourselves as a culture and how the rest of the world perceive us. Overall a slow but interesting film.
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