The ending may frustrate. But this really is a well-made film, if you are willing to invest the time in a slow-burn Aussie mystery. The cinematography and spare use of dialogue and music are simply excellent for such a low-budget offering. The same can be said for the small cast of actors, who I thought were exceptional.
The basic premise is that "Kevin," a resident of what I presume is Melbourne, is trying to sell his family home out in the Blackwood (rural) area of S. Australia. He receives a short, mysterious call from someone who wants to see the property. We find out only toward the end who exactly the caller was and what he really wanted to see (or at least look for).
Kevin takes his car out to Blackwood, but experiences a (fortuitous) breakdown en route. After having the car repaired by a very garrulous, Americanized Englishman ("Pete" complains about the size of Australia, the spiders, etc.), Kevin reaches his home but is too late to meet his would-be buyer. But we also find out that the town is looking for a missing person. Is the would-be buyer the missing person? The rest of the movie follows Kevin as he attempts to locate his mysterious buyer, while also dealing with a variety of locals (the sheriff ("Lynch"), a surly bearded neighbor ("Jim"), a waitress in Kyneton and one of the local young men ("Jesse").
In terms of cinematography, Max Walter switches between Bresson-style empty frames, short depth of field bokeh shots and some more familiar "shaky cam" style film work. The soundtrack alternates between low-key electronic music by "the Usuals" and prodigious use of silence. In many cases, then, the camera and sound work are NOT plot driven, but more concerned with fleshing out an atmosphere in which the mystery unfolds.
And what of that mystery? As we follow the story line toward the end, the film does not always tie the threads together for us. In fact, much of dialogue (spare though it is) features the characters talking past each other, hinting at their own hidden darkness. This is particularly true during the last 15 minutes or so of the film, which does spell out what happened in the woods near Kevin's home. However, it is not clear how this "discovery" is treated subsequently. The sheriff seems to regard matters as "case closed"- a tribute to a small community pulling together. But Kevin does some additional investigating that foreshadows some potential vigilante justice that will take place off-screen.
For this viewer, the key to the "mood" other reviewers have noted is the discomfort that exists throughout the film. Kevin is a cypher, (as are the people he meets). We do not know exactly who he is or what he does for a living. (He drives an older model car and uses water for radiator fluid, so we can assume he is not wealthy or well-connected.) We also don't know why he would travel such a long way based upon such a strange and abrupt phone call. Kevin also appears to be a "loner," uncomfortable around other people. Yet he is forward enough to engage with them as he seeks to find his mysterious buyer. The same might be said of the other characters, who drift in and out of the picture, leaving their own partial clues of why they are who the are - and THEY are always memorable no matter how long their screen time. Each character we meet seems outwardly "normal," but also hiding something much darker.
If you can enjoy a quirky, slow-burn mystery movie with horror elements, you might want to give this a shot. I really enjoyed it, and think it is one of those films that might profit from a second viewing to make a bit more sense of its off-kilter dynamics.
