Based on Robyn Davidson's 1995 memoir, subtitled "A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback," Tracks showcases a great performance by Mia Wasikowska as a solitary young woman whose arduous—some claim foolhardy—journey with four camels and her dog is chronicled by a National Geographic photographer (Adam Driver). Curran (
The Painted Veil) traces Davidson's path of self-discovery with matter-of-factly beautiful images that don't clamor for attention but make an indelible impression. A very moving film that carefully employs flashbacks to show what makes its protagonist tick, this biographical drama is unpretentious poetry next to the (albeit good) prose of the similarly themed
Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon, likewise based on a journal.
VERDICT Relegated to manufacture-on-demand (MOD) status—a route almost exclusively used for deep-catalog titles—this well-reviewed picture (produced by the Weinstein Co., no less) was poorly marketed and distributed and never found an audience in its late 2014 limited theatrical release. One of the year's best films, it deserves the second chance libraries are in a unique position to provide. Although the film is available for streaming, neither brick-and-mortar retailers nor rental services like Netflix offer MOD discs.
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