Picnic at Hanging Rock – Review

In the year 1900, a group of schoolgirls from Appleyard College picnicked at Hanging Rock near Mt. Macedon in Victoria, Australia. That morning, as the girls dream about their lives to come, they ready themselves for their day in the countryside.

Today happens to be St. Valentines Day, so the girls sing, fantasize about love, make flower imprints, bathe and beautify themselves. As Miranda St. Clare (Lambert) brushes her hair, she says some oddly ominous shit to Sara Waybourne (Nelson), who is not sure how to reply.

One house headmistress Ms. Lumley (Child) tries to keep the girls in line, but they are excited for the outing and dancing about in the yard. Head housemistress Mrs. Appleyard (Roberts) snaps them into shape about the dangerous rock, and no exploration is allowed. It is a geological marvel which they will compose an essay on, but they need to avoid poisonous snakes and biting ants. The class treks out, and the day does not go as planned.

Picnic at Hanging Rock is based on a novel and covers some intriguing psychological territory. There is a core mystery at play and some strange happenings, which are all enthralling and lead to plenty of drama, confusion, tension and enigmas. As with life, sometimes there are more questions than answers, which leads to angst.

The pacing is slow and presents itself as of a much older time period. It is a deliberate presentation of the material and gives the world time to establish and breathe. It feels very realistic and unsettling especially since it has an expertly crafted presentation in setting, costumes and acting.

Shots are well framed and the gorgeous Australian backdrop is almost a character in itself. The skilled director Peter Weir brought his typical quality and steady directorial hand, even if this was part of his earlier career. Visually, the film is quite nice to look at, and it delivers a diverse serene and haunting musical score.

I have not seen the 2018 version.