This true story of Australian Robyn Davidson's 1975 epic 2700km trek across the Aussie desert from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean is hypnotic, as Mandy White's stunning cinematography allows us to become lost in the beauty of the vast, richly coloured landscape.
Complemented by John Curran's almost pedestrian pacing and the quiet determination of actress Mia Wasikowska as the young adventurer; Tracks avoids romanticising and over-dramatising the journey. Instead it delivers a real sense of the mental and physical challenges Davidson faced, capturing both the monotony and danger of her six-month journey.
Davidson was in her mid-twenties when she left her life in Sydney in pursuit of something better and more fulfilling. She went to Alice Springs where she lived rough and worked with camels, including four who would accompany her and dog Diggity across the desert. The only real intrusion on Davidson's solitude is provided by National Geographic magazine, who she accepts a sponsorship deal with, in the form of intermittent meetings with photographer Rick Smolan (Adam Driver).
Other than a lack of water, the need to find an Aboriginal elder to lead her through sacred land, losing her compass, and occasionally her camels, not much else eventful happens. It's the key challenge the story faces, and it's a tribute to Wasikowska, no stranger to playing strong introverted women - think Stoker, Restless and Jane Eyre - that she manages to keep us engrossed.
