In Sydney, business lawyer David Burton (Richard Chamberlain) is given the pro bono assignment of defending five Aborigines accused of the murder of another tribesman. None of Burton’s clients are willing to speak about what happened, even in their own defense, and the medical examiner on the case can’t figure out how the victim died. But what’s most troubling Burton is the increasingly terrifying apocalyptic visions he’s having, leading him to think Australia may soon be destroyed.
Loaded with mystery and mysticism, The Last Wave was the result of filmmaker and former IU Cinema guest Peter Weir wondering, “What if someone with a very pragmatic approach to life experienced a premonition?” Hear more about Weir’s thoughts on the film with this interview from YouTube. For critical appreciations of the film, check out director Brian Trenchard-Smith’s wonderful Trailers From Hell segment, Lisa French’s great examination of David Gulpilil’s performance, and Diane Jacobs’s insightful Criterion Collection essay.
See The Last Wave at IU Cinema this Tuesday, April 18!
“The Last Wave is bold and wonderfully strange.” — Grant Watson, Fiction Machine
The Last Wave will be screened at IU Cinema on April 18 as part of the Michael A. McRobbie’s Choice series.