MovieChat Forums > Tracks (2014) Discussion > 'Tracks' - an authentic, beautiful film

'Tracks' - an authentic, beautiful film

posted 10 years ago by LifeVsArt
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I finally got to see "Tracks", and I found it truly moving. It's a beautiful film - not just in it's transporting cinematography and landscapes, but beautiful for it's truthfulness, it's honesty. "Tracks" is both sublimely poetic and ruggedly authentic - it's emotionally raw. I didn't find one false note in the movie, no melodrama or stereotype characters that you see in most Hollywood films. Mia Wasikowska's performance demonstrates that old line from Keats, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty" - it's a great performance, the epitome of soulful. The journey is as much her character's internal coming to terms with herself and the world, as it is the external journey, but nothing is spoon-fed to the audience. The film is psychological and spiritual and the landscapes and the actions reflect the central character's shedding of burdens and confronting herself in a naked environment - it's universal but profoundly personal. One reviewer described it as "achingly beautiful", having now seen "Tracks", I feel that's an apt description. I think director John Curran and everyone involved in making the film has pulled off an extremely challenging project and have created something of lasting value. Congratulations.

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[–] concerned_local_resident 10 years ago

I have just come out of tracks and can honestly say it's the most beautifully crafted heart wrenching film I have ever seen. I went in with very high expectations and it did not fail on any counts. It is a film that asks a lot from the audience but if you can handle it and can give it the time it deserves you cannot help but be caught up in its masterpiece of film.

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[–] LifeVsArt 10 years ago

"I have just come out of tracks and can honestly say it's the most beautifully crafted heart wrenching film I have ever seen."

Yes, it really affected me, too. I just want to encourage as many people as possible to see it. This movie actually strikes some very deep chords about being an individual in relation to society and nature. It would be a shame if people who could really appreciate seeing a fully humanized, central female character like this, honestly confronting and challenging herself, passed on it because they thought it was just some travelogue. The film is very dreamlike, yet totally down-to-earth. It really stunned me and I continue to think about it. I saw it at a film festival and I can't wait for it to open in the U.S. so I can see it again.

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[–] SwingBatta 10 years ago

Stop it, all of you. You're just making the wait much harder.

You four-eyed psycho.

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[–] LifeVsArt 10 years ago

Sorry, Swing, I'm not trying to pour salt in your wounds. I almost missed it myself. I will also say what others have said, try to see it on as big a screen as possible. At the festival where I saw it, the screen and sound system was not very big at all, still it was incredibly beautiful and the film really impacted me. I'm really looking forward to seeing it on at least a typical sized theater screen. I found it extremely emotional, but it achieves it in such an honest, non-showy way. The settings are quite haunting, and it made me feel like I was there. Mia has total command and authenticity in this role. It'll be released in the states pretty soon, as you know so well.

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[–] SwingBatta 10 years ago

Oh, I'm sure I'll be a total wreck once I watch it. If I can get all misty eyed at lesser fare like Restless and Albert Nobbs, I can only wonder what's going to happen come the end of May.

You four-eyed psycho.

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[–] LifeVsArt 10 years ago

This is a nice article on "Tracks", don't you think. Mia is incredibly mature, she learns quickly. This is such a great film, it bugs me that I have to wait so long to see it a second time. But, alas.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/mia-wasikowska-seeks-self-dis covery-off-the-beaten-track/article19160358/

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[–] LifeVsArt 10 years ago

I think you will relate to this very insightful review of "Tracks" - it just came out today from Istanbul.

"Mia Wasikowska has proved time and time again what a talent she is, but with this film, her abilities as an actress go far beyond one’s expectations, which are already high."

https://www.todayszaman.com/arts-culture_tracks-sand-in-the-air_353330 .html "Tracks Sand in the Air"

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[–] LifeVsArt 10 years ago

Entertainment Weekly just gave "Tracks" an A Rating review. EXCELLENT.

"Like Davidson herself, this lush adaptation from director John Curran (The Painted Veil) is remarkable for accomplishing so much with so little. There's minimal dialogue — and, really, not much to say, because Wasikowska's riveting performance tells you everything you need to know about how solitude can chip away at the mind."

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20843628,00.html

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[–] zcid47 10 years ago

very well said, i think i agree with every word..

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[–] andyd-1 10 years ago

I was sickened by the way she mistreated animals, and the way the film failed to condemn that, whilst following every other politically correct agenda. So she loved native Australians, but was cruel to animals? Great!

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[–] LifeVsArt 10 years ago

I appreciate that you're upset by what happened to Diggity, and a few of the other events in the film (17 comments in a few minutes is upset), shooting the wild bull attacking camels, the castration, etc. What can I tell you, horses, dogs, camels, have accompanied humans on journey's for eons, and a good number have died. The events in the film are as described in the book "Tracks", Robyn Davidson's memoir. If you can't see that Robyn loved her animals and was close to them, I certainly can't convince you. There was poison that had been put out by ranchers for wild dingos and that is described in the book, too. And sure Robyn was a difficult, alienated person at the time, that's an important part of the film that isn't glossed over. You might be interested to know that the film's producer, australian Emile Sherman, is a board member of "Voiceless" an animal rights organization that has been around for a number of years now. You might want to check them out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9QTRPPIU2c Emile Sherman on animal rights

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[–] LifeVsArt 9 years ago

UP - I saw the film again; it continues to fascinate and move me.

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