Man to man jackal There were eight. Eight daredevils who dared to play a game with the most burned, hardened and ruthless player in the world - wildlife. Eight adventurers who did not resign themselves to the deadline and planned a risky escape. Everything was against them, they did not know each other and were not ready to act together, but they continued to walk, swim across rivers, wade through the thickets of rain forests and look at the sky with hope. The sun and stars were supposed to show the fugitives the right way, but either the former sailor turned out to be a lousy navigator, or the mission was initially impossible. Almost in Tarantin’s way, the “disgusting eight” began to turn into a herd of jackals, and for these tailed guys, hunger is definitely not an aunt, but you will want to live and survive even with your feet gnawed off.
In every country there is a famous criminal, about whose terrible but unusual fate you can make films and write psychological treatises. For the Green Continent, Alexander Pierce is almost like for Russia his namesake Spesivtsev, whose surname also became a symbol of shocking gastronomic preferences. A native of Ireland, who was imprisoned on a trivial charge, was in the focus of the film, immortalizing the former name of the island of Tasmania. Through the harsh and beautiful forests of the virgin land, Pierce ran along with the same renegades of fate to meet the main savagery that only man is capable of. Crossing the fatal line was not at all difficult if the backpack is empty, and opposite you a centner of walking meat. It is said that the taste of a human being will never disappear from the tongue, but does one think about it when hunger deprives one’s mind and countless miles of forest lie ahead? The terrible wheel of fortune from time to time determines whose turn it is to go next for lunch or dinner, and with each fellow devoured by misfortune, the animal essence confidently defeats the human one. The survival instinct, instilled in a newfound unscrupulousness, is an impressive addition to the portrait of each of these semi-savages, and certainly they would all have something to say about the long journey, not only to Pierce.
The vast forest expanses of Tasmania solved many tasks for the director, but left intact the promotion of the psychological aspect, and it turned out more difficult. Jonathan Auf der Heidi shot a monotonous movie, the appearance of which is seriously inferior to the filling. The sparing color scheme successfully approached the pre-storm essence of the film, but there was no sensible continuation after the effects. Taking as a basis the real facts, the director did not find the necessary support that would allow to convey the state in which the prisoners found themselves. The timid attempts to add morality to one of the fugitives were frustrated by the need to focus on cannibalism. Shocking events are arranged in a delicate manner, and Pierce himself manages to come to the forefront not immediately, and therefore he does not look like a defining figure. The director, obviously, was dominated by a strong desire not to depart from the documented facts and somehow artistically ennoble them. The characters of Van Diemen’s Land are similar in unity in their desire to reach the settlement, but there is no person among them who would cause special sympathy or rage. “There, behind”, they were all someone and sat down for different things, but Auf der Heidi’s refusal from flashbacks did not give an opportunity to get to know the characters better, and therefore the jackal look suits everyone at once. In this sense, some natural equilibrium has been achieved. No wonder Tasmania is now famous for its devils.
Days don't pass, they fly. People get weak in front of their eyes, and in their beards, every hair is exactly saturated with hatred for nature, which cannot be coped with. With all the script imperfections, the film was a good demonstration of the “feat” of the famous criminal, but because of this, to consider “Land of Van Diemen” a biopic is too much luxury. There was a special smell in the damp air, not from a pile of human flesh. It is the smell of vain hope, which Dante’s will is really worth leaving when you get to the right place. People who decided to escape did not look doomed or tortured by hard labor, and therefore the rebellious spirit, which is always relevant to sing, did not fit this picture. The persistent desire for freedom through hardships is not much different from the usual running in a vicious circle, and it is no coincidence that the detachment of convicts thinned even before cannibalism became mainstream. Every criminal had to surrender, no matter where you go, forward or backward. And this sense of surrender has followed the eight adventurers relentlessly from the start, insidiously preventing them from realizing his presence. One of those whose name is easily found next to the label “Criminals of Australia”, got his weighty piece of fame, whether he was happy or not. “Land of Van Diemen” is suitable as an interesting illustration from the book on the criminal history of the Green Continent, but something more to the viewer will not offer.
Dedicated to Rishad