Could it be their position on the edge of the world, that formidable expanse of outback, or something in the water?
Either way, Australian directors seem to have a fondness for dystopia.
In the 1980s George Miller gave us one of the great futuristic dystopias with his Mad Max trilogy, stories of a brutalised hero, rabid villains, very hot cars and a godforsaken desert. In 2009, fellow Australian David Hillcoat adapted Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel The Road. And before Miller returns to Max next year, David Michod offers another bleak view of a man on the road at the end of the world.
The Rover opens with a caption stating "10 years after the collapse". Nothing more overt is said about what has happened to Australia, or indeed the rest of the world, though clearly the disaster is economic rather than natural. There's mention of mining and an indication of a functioning society in Sydney; all we see is an outback of minute, ramshackle communities and itinerancy, the buying and selling of stuttering existence - food, fuel and bullets.
The rover is Eric (Guy Pearce), whose ferrety face, too long in the sun and dominated by a shaggy beard, is the first thing we see, staring into space. He snaps himself back to life, leaves his car and enters a bar, where Asian pop is playing on the radio and he sits alone with a drink. A few minutes later - after a spectacular image of a truck flying through the air past the window - his own vehicle is stolen. This car is the only thing that Eric cares about. And the rest of the movie involves his dogged attempt to get it back.
It's been stolen by a gang, escaping from a crime gone awry, during which Henry (Scoot McNairy) has left his wounded brother Rey (Robert Pattinson) behind. As fate would have it, Eric crosses paths with Rey, forcing the younger man to lead him across the desert to the gang's hideout.
This is not a conventional drama by any stretch of the imagination, a fact that is crystallised in a brilliant early sequence in a seedy brothel, where Eric seeks information.
"I'm looking for my car. It's got three people in it," he breathes, not unlike Eastwood in his pomp. "What a thing to get worked up about, in this day and age," answers the brothel madam, over her knitting. Eric buys a gun from a dwarf, thinks hard about killing the woman, makes it abundantly clear that he's not a hero, not even an anti-hero, but a man way past the end of his tether. We're desperate to know how he could sink so low.
While Eric is capable and tough, Rey is a simpleton, vulnerable and likeable. We're used to Pearce immersing himself deep into character, but Pattinson is a revelation here. He was good in Cronenberg's Cosmopolis, though the well-dressed millionaire didn't feel like a stretch; with Rey, he puts Twilight firmly into the shade forever. What's good about the performance is not the stuttering thought and speech, but the sense of the young man growing in confidence in the company of his bitter companion.
Confirming the potential he demonstrated in his crime thriller Animal Kingdom, Michod achieves here a control of tone and pacing that creates a convincing sense of a world gone to pot, and makes a slender plot compelling. The soundtrack plays a key role, whether an electronic dirge for the desert, or a mournful piano signifying that a rare moment of light is about to be snuffed out.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article