Based on her memoir of the same name, Tracks follows Robyn Davidson’s nine-month journey across the Australian desert.
The film stars Mia Wasikowska as Robyn and starts with her trying to find a way to jumpstart her journey, first by trying to find camels and ways to learn how to train them.
She literally has nothing to make the trip possible but shows a lot of determination to make it happen no matter what it takes.
It isn’t clear to the audience what Robyn’s motivation is for taking such a long journey alone and why she is so determined to complete it, but audience members are invested nonetheless.
After months of hard work, Robyn obtains four camels and garners sponsorship from National Geographic magazine if she writes about it and lets one of their photographers follow her.
Tracks does a good job of displaying the hardships of traveling across the desert with limited resources and makes the audience feel like it is on the journey alongside the lead character, one of the reasons being the cinematography.
The film is shot beautifully, and even though it takes place mostly in the desert, the images are stunning.
The performances were solid throughout the film, even by one of the Australian elders who accompanies Robyn for part of her journey and was one of the highlights of the film. But no one really stood out.
While the film looks impressive, the ending slightly underwhelms.
Tracks delivers the story that it’s presenting to the audience but feels longer than it actually is. As epic as Robyn’s journey was, the story doesn’t compel viewers to remember it long after they leave the theater.
Tracks isn’t worth the price of admission, but it could be a rental.
— Rodrigo Valverde
