It's been almost a year after her identical twin's unsolved disappearance, medical student Maude Ashton, studying overseas, is still plagued by visions of her sister being violently abducted. She believes she's alive and knows her whereabouts, as these visions seem so real. So, she returns home, inspite of everyone believing her sister to be dead. She along with her sister's boyfriend and town cop who originally worked the case, follow the clues to a derelict caravan park. There she discovers her own fate is essentially linked by the special connection shared between the sisters.
Watching this independent Arthouse Aussie psychological teaser, had me like an anxious rabbit caught in the headlights. I was never too sure what to expect, and never did I truly grasp what was fully going on. And I don't know if you're meant too either? But it did linger on my mind, long after it finished. From beginning to end, it's very ponderous and ambiguously cryptic in what seemed at first like a straight-up, peculiar rural locals hiding secrets and cult themed story, yet it becomes experimentally deranged, not over-the-top crazy, but there's a whole lot more to it. Possibly a secret society (the council) watching on, pulling the strings. Bit by bit, the shrouded mystery surrounding the missing twin sister comes to fruition, we discover what happened and why her. Although the script never expanded on the bigger picture around these unusual circumstances, like the background of this driving force and the pay-off is rather muted when compared to how it's built-up. Everything that occurs is patterned on methodical and predetermined brushes, and character actions are basically on a collision course towards fate, which brews up all kinds of twisted emotions.
I guess it can be a frustrating experience, however I was caught in two minds. While the plot had me head-scratching, it was strangely unsettling, in spite of there being little in the way of incidents and heavy on atmospheric dread. After the film during the Q&A, debut writer/director (Luke Shanahan) mentioned he found the film to have a very bold, European vibe in moods, structure and pacing. This statement felt right on the money. It was a beautifully projected presentation with arresting, and unnerving imagery. Anna Howard's percise and particular positional framing shoots up from the screen and her sweeping cinematography of the Adelaide country locations was a tool to show the stifling elements of its surroundings in hiding the truth. It's easy to get lost out there, never to be found again. So a great place to bury the truth. Even the music score gets on the act. One minute it's underplayed - then it's laid on thick with overpowering, one-note brooding synthesisers. During the quiet moments, all hell would break loose, not on screen, but when the score erupted, adding a real bombastic intensity. As for the performances, the cast were excpetional. Adelaide Clemens' emotionally tapered, dogged performance as Ashton carries you along and Verrle Baetens' mysteriously cold-shouldered performance draws you into the meticulous web.
I really want to see this one again, as I think you need a second viewing to fully soak it up and comprehend what you just experienced.
