James Bogle’s first venture out of low budget filmmaking brings to the screen Tim Winton’s novella of the same title. Set in a rural farm community of Australia, the film follows the secluded lives of four people faced with the imminent threat of an unknown force that is savagely killing livestock and wild animals. Superbly cast with Brenda Blethyn (from “Secrets and Lies”) who plays the wife of a farmer (played by Australian film icon Ron Barrett) consumed with discovering who is killing his animals. Blethyn and Barrett become engaged in a terrifying emotional drama with the only two other people in their community that eventually leads them on a mad chase through the countryside. The story is unstructured at times and leaves numerous plot elements unexplained. Martin McGrath’s cinematography of rural Australia is phenomenal and complements Bogleõs directing to create this harrowing portrayal of the dark side of human madness.
