Strangerland

Director: Kim Farrant
Screenwriters: Michael Kinirons, Fiona Seres

Institute History

  • 2015 Sundance Film Festival

Description

New to the remote Australian desert town of Nathgari, the Parker family is thrown into crisis when Catherine and Matthew discover that their two teenage kids, Tommy and Lily, have mysteriously disappeared just before a massive dust storm hits the town. With Nathgari now eerily smothered in red dust and darkness, the locals join the search led by local cop David Rae. With temperatures rising, and the chances of survival plummeting with each passing day, Catherine and Matthew find themselves pushed to the brink as they struggle to survive the uncertainty of their children’s fate.

Part thriller, part psychological drama, Strangerland erupts with talent and confident storytelling. It operates at such a high level, it is nearly impossible to believe this film is director Kim Farrant's first feature. Enlivened by a phenomenal cast, including Nicole Kidman, who delivers one of the strongest performances of her career, Strangerland joins the ranks of Australia’s recent wave of stylish, “Elevated Genre” films and marks the emergence of another massive directing talent from Down Under. —T.G.

— T.G.

Screening Details

As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]