Our take
Robyn Davidson decided to cross 1,700 miles in the Australian desert with four camels and her trusty dog, and this film recounts her real-life journey. In many ways this is a companion piece to Reese Witherspoon’s Wild, also released in theaters in 2014. While I enjoyed Wild, it went out of its way to make the protagonist’s journey understood to audiences. Tracks gives Robyn some light shading and backstory, but unlike Wild it almost focuses solely on her journey across the desert. And what a desert it is! The scenery is shot beautifully and we feel as though we are truly on this daring journey with her, traveling alien landscapes with little to depend on beyond our animal companions and our wits. We know the outcome (since this is a true story) but we are still thrilled to see how it unfolds. What does it all mean, and what was the journey’s purpose? Thankfully, in the end, the answer is left as enigmatic as the heroine herself.
What it won
Cannes
1 nom
The story
Accompanied only by her faithful dog and four camels, an Australian satisfies her craving for solitude by embarking on a solo trip across the desert from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean.
Elsewhere
"In the end, the point of this ridiculous, arduous, oft-interrupted odyssey turns out to be elusive-and is all the richer for it."
— David Edelstein
"Both an incredible (and occasionally harrowing) adventure and an uncompromising, tough character study ..."
— Glenn Kenny
Who picked it
Tara Goe is a contributing writer at A Good Movie to Watch, reviewing films and shows across the major streaming services. Her work helps readers find overlooked titles worth their time.
