The Rover
Dir: David Michôd
2014
****
David Michôd's first film as director since Animal Kingdom is well worth the wait. It's the first great dystopian thriller of the decade that follows a great tradition in Australian cinema of films of its ilk. All seems lost in this horrific vision of the future as we see Eric (played by the brilliant Guy Pearce) search for the people who stole his car. The story seems ridiculous and simple but Michôd raises a curious question and keeps you guessing for the answer right until the end credits without the story becoming convoluted or contrived. The film is intense throughout and is dark, shocking but full of rewarding twists. A bleak future has never looked so good, the Australian outback is unwelcoming but Michôd makes it look stunning, enticing but dangerous all at the same time, if The Rover was a plant it would be a Venus flytrap. The conclusion is powerful and throws into question what the real priorities in life are and whether they are based on a false idealism and if honor is always valid. It's a devastating and vivid thriller that will keep you thinking, well after the end credit roll.