Strangerland (2015)

A family finds their dull life in a rural outback town rocked after their two teenage children disappear into the desert, sparking disturbing rumors of their past.

Director:

Kim Farrant

Writers:

Michael Kinirons, Fiona Seres (story)

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicole Kidman	...	Catherine
Joseph Fiennes	...	Matthew
Hugo Weaving	...	Rae
Lisa Flanagan	...	Coreen
Meyne Wyatt	...	Burtie
Maddison Brown	...	Lily
Nicholas Hamilton	...	Tom
Jim Russell	...	Alan Robertson
Sean Keenan	...	Steve Robertson
Bronwyn Penrith	...	Rose
Trangi J. Speedy-Coe	...	Jarrah
Morgan Junor-Larwood	...	Slug (as Morgan Junor Larwood)
Chris Pattinson	...	Deputy Pete
Reef Ireland	...	Guy in State Park
Martin Dingle Wall	...	Neil McPherson

Storyline

Newcomers to the remote Australian desert town of Nathgari, Catherine and Matthew Parker's lives are flung into crisis when they discover their two teenage kids, Tommy and Lily, have mysteriously disappeared just before a massive dust storm hits. With Nathgari eerily smothered in red dust and darkness, the townsfolk join the search led by local cop, David Rae. It soon becomes apparent that something terrible may have happened to Tommy and Lily. Suspicions run riot, rumours spread and public opinion turns savagely against the Parkers. With temperatures rising and the chances of survival plummeting with each passing day, Catherine and Matthew find themselves pushed to the brink as they struggle to survive the mystery of their children's fate.

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Plot Keywords:

australia | calling someone a pain in the ass | pharmacist | drugstore | tattoo | 

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Taglines:

To find the truth they must lose themselves

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexuality and brief graphic nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Guy Pearce was originally cast in the lead role but dropped out to star in Black Mass (2015). Joseph Fiennes was cast as a replacement.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Lily Parker: There is a stillness in the air, and I'm in it. There are no sounds, no whispers, no shadows, no darkness. And just for a moment, there is no 'you', no 'me'. And I'm not lost.

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Soundtracks

Kamikaze Origami
Written and performed by Jen Cloher

User Reviews

Meh...

The best things about this movie are the cinematography, the acting (despite the lame script) and the beautiful and haunting outback locales. The story is so strung out...so stretched. The whole thing could have been told in 30 minutes. As it is the story is padded out with long and luxurious takes of the outback, the stereotypical outback town (of which there are very few these days) and the side story of Kidman's character losing it big time.

I am thoroughly sick and tired of Australian films these days (yep-I'm Australian). They tell off-beat boring stories or focus far too much on the outback that the rest of the world must think we all live in the desert with koalas and kangaroos for pets, speak with an appalling twang and drink copious amounts of beer whilst swatting away huge flies.

Here's the reality... Most Australians live in large cities or suburbs not unlike LA (I know LA so I can compare our cities quite well). Few of our films deal with our cosmopolitan and multi-racial population. Aussie films either show whitebread Aussie families or Aboriginal families in distress. No mention or filming of the other ethnic groups here.

Now whilst trying to tell tales about your culture is a laudable thing, to make a film truly internationally interesting it needs to sell to a wider audience otherwise our film industry will always be relegated to the quirky sidelines while Hollywood conquers all.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Ireland Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Strangerland

Filming Locations:

Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,472, 12 July 2015

Gross USA:

$17,472

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$111,107

Company Credits

Production Co:

Worldview Entertainment, Fastnet Films, Dragonfly Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1