The violence of Jennifer Kent’s film doesn’t seem to build upon its themes so much as repeat them.
The film is a meticulous examination of how the dehumanization of Australia’s native population bred an environment of cyclical violence and mistrust.
Simon Stone’s film too often strains for a tragic gravity that its ultimately melodramatic characters never earn.
Julia Leigh’s take on the story is a study in detachment and unspoken dissatisfaction.