The Australian outback has formed the backdrop for a number of excellent films - from the searing portrait of masculinity and aggression of Wake in Fright to the surreal coming-of-age Walkabout - its vast and desolate expanses featuring some of the most impressive landscapes ever filmed. Tracks tells the true story of Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska) and her nine month trek across 1,700 miles of Australian desert. Wasikowska proves herself capable of sustaining a movie with her screen presence, and Adam Driver as the National Geographic photographer who meets up occasionally for a photo shoot en route is solid in the role, but it is the cinematography which really steals the show and enriches our experience of her journey. Director of photography Mandy Walker already demonstrated her knack of capturing both the heat and the timeless space felt in the outback in Australia, and Tracks is every bit as luminous. These visuals sometimes compensate for the occasional moments where the film begins to meander.
