7. An Exotic Culture
Weve all seen this one. A Western hero goes to a distant, uncivilized land. You can also scale this down to a basic fish out of water story. The people in the uncivilized setting are different and quirky, and this otherness can bring about comedy or unease. Its usually a community the outsider is dealing with, but that community is essentially the face for an entire culture. The Hunter certainly has these elements laid out at several levels at the beginning of its story. When Willem Dafoes Martin first arrives in Tasmania, he has plenty of obstacles to overcome before he even gets to the first-billed wilderness. The manmade culture is just as daunting. Even the airport is eccentrican officially-endorsed Beagle sniffs at Martins luggage as it hops along the conveyor belt at baggage claim. As Martin drives into the countryside, a bright gray light reflects a supremely ancient present on the edge of the world. The town near Martins hunting ground is quiet, but rife with secrets. If there were enough people around, they would probably close their shudders. The towns only pub is unfriendly. The house where Martin stays is in disarray. The lady of the house, Frances OConnors Lucy, is in a drug-induced half-coma. Like the proverbial jungle, Lucys children Sass and Bike have taken over the place, artistically transforming the house into a sort of Lucky Charms rendition of The Lord of the Flies, which is both a free-spirited extension of their perceptions as children and a plain, innocent revelation of their current life situation, not bothering to be hidden. Like any good antagonistic foil, Sam Neills Jack Mindy seems helpful, but appears to know more than he lets on, and is uncomfortable with Martins intrusion. This is because Jack is the go-to guy in town. Hes the one giving Lucy her prescriptions, and seems cozy with the two main factions that divide the community. Hes friends with both the loggers and their sworn enemies, the young idealists fighting to save the Tasmanian ecosystems, derogatorily referred to as greenies. Most unsettling is that Lucys husband, Jarrah, went missing the summer before, apparently after he made enemies in the town. So we have an ominous exotic setting all around. Its a classic but developed take on the basic convention, a mystery set in a remote village à la Agatha Christie. Wheres Poirot when you need him? Like any good Poirot story, The Hunter uses its exotic setting to resonate for itself. First of all, by all accounts the movie depicts the setting accurately and empathetically. The Hunter was mostly filmed on location in Tasmania, and many of the extras in the movie were actual townspeople with similar political concerns as the characters in the movie. This culture may seem different from many other places, but it is not inferior, and its inhabitants concerns are real. This makes the culture identifiable. In fact, the differences from mainstream Western culture dont come so much from the customs, but instead the limitations of the location. Sass and Bike like art, but are limited to the house, much like their fathers abandoned relics of harmony and innovation in the yard. There may possibly be a Tasmanian tiger in that yard, but because of that tiger, Lucy is in mourning. Its not an absence of Rite Aid thats a problem; its where the Rite Aid is located. Martin cant even get a moments peace because everyone around him always wants his attention. Every actor in this movie pulls us into these concerns with their solid performances, and their moods shine through beautiful set design, cinematography, and sound. At its core, this Tasmanian community is only exotic because of the emotions of its inhabitants. Lets face it, these days anyone anywhere can get anything if they can afford it (yes, thats a big if, but still). This is a movie where the sounds of The Boss echo through the trees of remote Tasmania, serving as a foundation of inspiration for the characters. It is not escapist, regardless of how much its inhabitants or visitors want it to be. It is an allegory of the real world. Theres nowhere to go. The world is small. The local is everywhere. Were all limited by our surroundings to a certain extent. The exotic affects us all.