Picnic at Hanging Rock

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Bob Z @theyazfan 6 days ago The film needed closure. See more Kim M @Kmurphy54 Aug 13, 2026 Way too many unanswered questions. Acting waa mediocre. Much of it had a bizarre dream-like quality. Very disappointing. See more Jack O @RT81003539 Jul 5, 2026 This is my all-time favourite movie. I'l never forget the effect it had on me when I first saw it - its sounds and images clung to me for days afterwards . It's haunting and creepy and beautiful. See more Barry S. @RT41224361 Jun 8, 2026 Not much Exaggerated and unbelievable See more Wayne K @WayneKelso May 9, 2026 A defining film of Australia’s New Wave movement, Picnic At Hanging Rock is a very twee title to an ominous and haunting story. Heavy with themes of sexual awakening, coming of age and cultural displacement, the story takes place at a time when Australia was on the cusp of becoming its own independent country, yet its populated almost entirely by English individuals. It makes the disappearances all the more frightening, since being lost in a foreign country is completely different from being lost in your own. The film’s pacing often works against it, as the languid shots and extended pauses in conversation become more tedious than anything else. You want to see the many ramifications of the tragedy, but you usually only see it from the perspective of the same people over and over. But if you don’t mind being patient, PAHR is the kind of mystery that sticks with you after the credits have rolled, and the lack of closure is really the icing on the cake. See more J. J @RT98080190 May 5, 2026 As a lover of Australian cinema, I approached Picnic at Hanging Rock expecting something on the level of Walkabout, but found it a major disappointment. The cinematography is attractive in places, yet lacks the hypnotic brilliance and emotional tension of Nicolas Roeg’s work. The biggest problem is the near absence of a real script. Ambiguity can be powerful, but here the plot feels opaque to the point of inertia. Rachel Roberts, such a formidable actress in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and O Lucky Man!, seems wooden here, though I blame the material and direction more than her performance. The lack of music also drains the film of emotional momentum. There are glimpses of greatness, but for me it mistakes vagueness for depth. See more Read all reviews

Picnic at Hanging Rock

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