Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Peter Weir, Umbrella Entertainment.
The Last Wave, a 1977 classic by Oscar-nominated Australian director Peter Weir has been newly restored and remastered. It’s a powerful journey into the depths of the unidentified, where dreams and nightmares conspire as one.
After agreeing to defend a group of Aboriginal men charged with homicide, a Sydney lawyer David Burton (Richard Chamberlain, The Thorn Birds, Dr Kildare) is thrust into a shadowy world of secret societies, shamanic rituals and an ancient doomsday prophecy.
Burton’s seemingly normal life is disrupted after he takes on the murder case and discovers that he shares a strange, mystical connection with the group. He is unprepared for the nightmares of an impending natural disaster.
Accused of murdering one of their own, the men stand trial amidst suspicious circumstances and, as Burton becomes plagued by unsettling visions, he is drawn to the mysterious Chris Lee (AFI Award-winner David Gulpilil, Storm Boy, The Tracker) for answers to his torment. As the erratic climate turns dangerous, Burton senses a greater power at play, where tribal customs and the ancient ideas of Dreamtime may be more than just an ominous warning.
Weir, a leading figure in the Australian New Wave cinema movement, is director of the mystery drama Picnic at Hanging Rock, World War I historical drama Gallipoli and a masterful thriller set in Amish country Witness.
In the award-winning supernatural thriller The Last Wave, Weir explores a startling world on the brink of apocalypse, a time and place where Mother Nature and human nature are destined to collide in catastrophic disaster.
Showcasing distinguishing cinematography by Academy Award-winner Russell Boyd (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), watching this film is a treat, especially on Blu-ray, with the many special features!
Who plays the role of the mysterious Chris Lee? If your answer is correct, you could win either a Blu-ray or DVD of The Last Wave. Entries should be sent to [email protected] by Monday, 5 October 2020. Names of the winners will be announced in Frank Cassidy’s PS-sssst…! column on 6 October 2020.
