Plains of Heaven (1982)

1h 20min | Mar 17, 1982 | Released

In this inversion of the buddy-film, two technicians manning a tracking station on the Victorian High Plains pursue opposite ways of coping with isolation. The ageing Cunningham (Evans) seems to be rejuvenated by and obsessed with the landscape, while the younger Barker (Moir) withdraws into the interior and technical world of the station. The film explores the anxiety of isolation in the wilderness – a reoccurring theme in Australian cinema – but here it is within an alpine setting rather than the usual 'dead heart’ of the outback. As described by Marcus Breen in Australian film 1978-1992, Ian Pringle’s existential drama is a bold attempt to examine psychosocial issues of disorientation, filmed in a European-style but set in an Australian context. Print courtesy National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

Director: Ian Pringle

Producer: John Cruthers

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