Film Number 14 on PinHeadLarry145's 30 Days 30 Countries Film Challenge!

Australia, 1975.

I've had this one on my radar for a loooong ass time. The plot was always interesting to me (schoolgirls go missing at a mysterious natural location) but the combination of it being hard to find and my crippling laziness always came in tween me and the film

I finally watched Picnic at Hanging Rock tonight and while it wasn't everything I hoped it would be as a whole, it still turned out to be as mysterious as I expected.

The plot, like I mentioned above, centers around a group of young women from the Appleyard College who take a much anticipated field trip to a natural landmark called "Hanging Rock." It's a mysterious place that seems to be alive in some way. It's a big protruding rocky hill with may small caves and crevices. Wind whistles through the quiet rocky hilltop and the many dark corners and tight spaces make for a very interesting place despite it not being used to its fullest potential. The fact that Hanging Rock has no explanation for its supernatural occurrences and the people it swallows never return to tell what they saw makes for a frustrating but incredibly intriguing experience. I'm one of those guys who likes shit in the vein of the Bermuda Triangle or the Japanese Suicide Forest. I like mysterious places. I like not having answers. But Hanging Rock managed to be even more vague than that. Was it a good or bad thing? I'm still trying to decide. But I'm leaning in the good direction.

But I quickly found out that Picnic at Hanging Rock was not so much a movie about the rock, or explaining the disappearances. Without spoiling anything, you won't come out with answers. This film is an experience that plays with your head and leads you on coaxingly. It's like a seductress that lures you in and leaves you confused and in the dark. It's mystery at its finest and the atmosphere is among the best I've experienced. The Victorian era schoolgirls and college grounds are quickly swept away whenever characters come back to the mysterious rock. It's almost like an ancient relic that brings people back to primal instinct and fear. You feel the dormant power whenever characters are at the rock and you feel its psychological repercussions when its not on screen. This is done with some odd flashbacks, creepy music and a creeping and crawling camera. When the film isn't digging around in your thoughts when it comes to the rock, it also contains scenes of forbidden love and young female naivety. Its a film of primitive and unexplainable feelings and thoughts. It's essentially multiple films at once, and director Peter Weir.

I can easily see why Picnic at Hanging Rock has become one of Australia's most beloved films. It's been critically acclaimed worldwide for its atmosphere, mystery and inexplicable draw. It didn't quite turn out to be what I expected but I guess that's my fault. This is still an immensely intriguing film with a great fucking soundtrack if I might add.

Also, I think this film officially made me afraid of wandering off into narrow spaces. I doubt anyone is fond of that anyways but this film only solidified that fact. Cause, ya know. You might end up in purgatory or some shit.