I don't easily go for romance stories; I can sometimes forgive an action film for being two-thirds stupid, but a love story has to be intelligent & beautifully acted before I'll fall for it. This one is intelligent & beautifully acted.
The first hour is an amazing study of two characters whose relationship goes through extraordinary changes, with stunning acting from the two leads, Toni Collette & Goto Tsunashima.
She has been assigned by the company she works for to show the visiting Japanese businessman the Pilbara Desert in Australia. She does not appreciate being treated as a tour guide, & she takes an immediate dislike to the young businessman. But when they become stranded in the desert, their relationship evolves into something very touching.
The last half hour is an extended epilog that totally reverses the film's romantic mood & descends into such a deep sense of sadness. The beauty of the earlier part of the film is somehow increased by these later deeper emotions. The story has an almost literary effect, like a first-rate short story. A lovely film.
copyright © by Paghat the Ratgirl
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