Nothing really happens in this movie. It also has the pacing that I've come to expect from these Australian movies - very long periods of no one saying anything or anything happening. I'm not sure if that is just the way people from down under see the world, or if it is just the few movies that I've seen tend to be that way.
This movie has so little going on it is impressive. A woman decides that she wants to do something... different (actually, it's never really explained why she chose this particular task). So, she takes up odd jobs at the edge of the Outback in order to make the money necessary to get the supplies and camels that she will need to cross 1700 miles to the ocean. She learns about how to treat camels (she has no experience with them going in). She gets her camels, she manages to get funds, and she and her dog take off across the desert. The sense of urgency is never really put across to the audience; instead, they occasionally show a ticker of how many days it has been.
Here's the thing, though. This is a beautifully done movie that I actually enjoyed. Mia Wasikowska plays the girl with a dream, and she does a tremendous job of it. Her character is quirky and likable despite the fact that she doesn't seem to like most people, dislikes attention, and is pretty grumpy most of the time.
The only American in the movie, played by the unfortunate-looking Adam Driver, offers to help fund Mia's trip by getting her support from National Geographic. In exchange, she has to agree to let him meet her along the way to take pictures and make notes about what is happening on the trek.
Direction was good
Script was weak
Cinematography was spectacular
Acting was very good
Editing was okay.
3.75/5