What is the film Walkabout about?
Walkabout is a 1971 film directed by British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg and set in the Australian outback. It follows two English schoolchildren stranded in the desert who survive with help from a young Aboriginal man.
After their father suddenly abandons them in the desert, a teenage girl, played by Jenny Agutter, and her younger brother, played by Luc Roeg, wander through the outback. They meet a young Aboriginal man on his walkabout, a traditional journey into adulthood.
David Gulpilil, a Yolngu man from Arnhem Land, played the young man. It was his first film role, and his performance, dancing and bush skills made him famous.
Style and legacy
Roeg, a former cinematographer, filled the film with striking images of the landscape, wildlife and contrasts between city and bush life. Its ending is ambiguous and tragic.
Walkabout was filmed in locations including the Northern Territory and around Sydney. It competed at the Cannes Film Festival in 1971.
Though made by a British director, the film is often counted among important films about Australia. Gulpilil went on to a long career in films such as Storm Boy, Crocodile Dundee, Rabbit-Proof Fence and Charlie's Country.
Did You Know?
David Gulpilil died in 2021, and he was honoured with a state memorial service in Adelaide.