Wow, I never knew my country’s film industry could make something so good and so different like this film.

The film seems to judge the way Australians live. It suggests that while Aboriginal life is ‘savage’ it is lived because of the Aboriginal’s need to survive in the unforgiving outback, and that Australian life lived in the city is just as ‘savage’ and alienating. Nicolas Roeg, most importantly, does not force this judgment down your throat; it is done with the utmost subtlety.

Very little plot, but it is very intriguing. Some of the best cinematography I have ever seen. The harsh Australian outback is very beautiful. It reminds of the panoramas in a Sergio Leone spaghetti western. And some of the extreme camera angles used definitely are reminiscent of a Stanley Kubrick film. The extreme close-ups of the wild animals and insects make them look so fearsome and give them an eerily cinema verite/nature documentary quality. The sound design is also great. It excels in creating tension and conveying the haunting mood of some of the scenes. And powerful use of montage editing to emphasise and critique the differences between city life and life in the Australian outback.

As it stands now, Nicolas Roeg’s ‘Walkabout’ is my favourite Australian film. If only the Australian Film Industry can make films this entertaining, yet so deep and so accessible, there would not be a problem.