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"Gulpilil creates a fascinating, self-contained character, the sort of person who has been shown all the mysteries." – New York Times
A striking instalment to the ground-breaking Australian cinema movement of the 1970s, The Last Wave is just as relevant today as it was on its release. Displaying director Peter Weir's characteristic preoccupation with the mysteries of nature and the connection between the spiritual and the mundane, The Last Wave highlights the chasm between the limits of Western reason and the stark power and force of an ancient culture.
David (Richard Chamberlain), a young Sydney-based lawyer, is plagued by strange visions all involving the incredible force of water. Soon after, he takes on a legal case defending Indigenous men against charges of murdering another Indigenous man in a city alleyway. In order to solve the mystery, he must steep himself in Aboriginal history with David Gulpilil as his spiritual guide. The journey he embarks on not only echoes his foreboding visions but also threatens to undo his very being.
"All of Peter Weir's films defy simple definitions of reality but The Last Wave goes further – insisting on the tangible power of spiritual life." – The Criterion Collection
Courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
